Social Capital and Self-Rated Health Status: Urban China in the 1990s

Qing Xiao, Utah State University

Using the World Value Survey data collected in 1993 and 1997 from eleven provinces and municipalities in China, this study will explore the specific mechanisms on how social capital is associated with individual health measured by self-rated health status in the 1990s' Chinese urban areas. Authors will focus on family-centered networks, sense of belonging to the community of different levels of economic development, and perceived neighborhood characteristics. Three hypotheses will be attested: (1) It is the family-centered networks rather than the secondary association participation that have significant effects on self-rated health status; (2) Perceived neighborhood characteristics have significant health related effects on individuals; (3) Despite the economic disparities in Chinese urban areas, individual health status do not necessarily differ too much. Additional models will also be employed to examine the possible causal relationships between any other social factors such as SES and health change style in the 1990s.