Children's Education and Parental Healthcare Utilization: The Roles of Knowledge Transfer and Financial Support
Lei Lei1, Lingyan Hu2, Arthur van Soest3
1Research Institute of Economics and Management, Southwestern University of Finance and Economics, Chengdu, China.
Health Economics
|May 4, 2025
Summary
Children's education significantly impacts parental healthcare use in China. Higher education levels increase inpatient, self-treatment, and dental care, while reducing outpatient visits, improving health awareness and financial support.
Area of Science:
- Health Economics
- Sociology of Health
- Gerontology
Background:
- Healthcare utilization among older adults in developing nations is often inadequate.
- Understanding factors influencing healthcare access for the elderly is crucial.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the impact of children's education on parental healthcare utilization in China.
- To explore the mechanisms linking children's education to healthcare access and health outcomes for older parents.
Main Methods:
- Utilized the Compulsory Education Law (CEL) reform in 1986 as a natural experiment to assess changes in children's education.
- Employed regression analysis to determine the relationship between children's education and various parental healthcare utilization metrics.
Main Results:
- Children's education was associated with reduced outpatient care but increased inpatient care, self-treatment, and dental care utilization.
- Education transfer led to better knowledge of healthcare quality, price, and chronic disease awareness.
- Increased monetary transfers and economic resources were observed with higher child education levels.
- Older parents with more educated children reported better perceived survival chances.
Conclusions:
- Children's education plays a multifaceted role in shaping parental healthcare utilization and health perceptions in China.
- Knowledge transfer, financial support, and improved health awareness are key mediating factors.
- Policies promoting education can have significant indirect benefits for elderly healthcare access and well-being.
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