Socioeconomic Status and Health Disparities: A Comprehensive Study of Rural Communities in China

Abstract

Aim: This study aims to determine the role of socioeconomic status in influencing health disparities among rural communities in China. Method: For this purpose, the data was gathered from Chinese General Social Survey (CGSS) of years 2009, 2014 and 2019 to investigate health inequality and determinants within China. Within this regard, the ordinal complementary log–log model was used. Result: The results obtained show that health status varies with different social and individual factors. Different health determinants such as gender, region, residential area, ethnicity, and income level, were found to have a significant impact. However, it has been observed that the individuals with lower socioeconomic status had poor health status as compared to the individuals with higher socioeconomic status. Implication: The current study would prove effective in providing useful insights and implications to reduce health disparities within China.