[Research on the social determinants of child health inequalities]

To investigate the impact of social determinants of health on the inequality of child health and health care utilization.

Information of 1 118 children aged 0 to 16 is extracted from the Chinese Family Panel Studies (CFPS) year 2008 cross sectional survey data for the analysis. Age standardized concentration curves and concentration indices are employed to assess the inequalities for incidence of low birth weight, self reported good health, adequate timing of breast feeding, health insurance coverage and incidence of catastrophic health expenditures for these children. Concentration indices are decomposed to four levels of social determinants of health(community, family, mother and individual level) to understand their contributions to health inequality respectively.

There are health inequalities existing in the investigated children, among which social factors at mother and family level have the largest contribution.

To respond to the call by the WHO to achieve health equity through action on the social determinants of health in a generation, the inequalities of health and health care utilization amongst Chinese children should be put on the policy agenda, and social policies should intervene from multiple social dimensions, especially from family and mother levels.