How does capital endowment affect dietary quality in rural elderly? Evidence from Heilongjiang Province, China

Amidst rapid demographic aging and hollowed-out family structures in rural China, the dietary quality of older adults has become a critical social concern, reflecting broader challenges in family support and resource allocation. This study investigates how capital endowment-comprising human, social, financial, and physical dimensions-influences the dietary quality of the rural elderly.

Using 2022 survey data from 1,256 individuals in Heilongjiang Province, we constructed a multi-dimensional capital endowment index and employed a Tobit model to analyze its impact on dietary quality, which was measured by the Dietary Balance Index (DBI).

The results indicate that capital endowment significantly improves dietary quality, with human capital exhibiting the strongest positive effect. The relationships between specific capital types and dietary imbalance are nonlinear: financial capital shows a U-shaped association, while physical capital follows an inverted U-shaped pattern. Subgroup analyses further reveal that only human and social capital mitigate severe dietary imbalances, and the capital dependencies differ significantly between low- and high-income groups.

These findings suggest that tailored, multi-dimensional policy interventions are necessary to address the complex and heterogeneous pathways through which capital endowment shapes dietary outcomes. This study offers crucial insights for promoting healthy aging and improving nutritional well-being among rural older adults in China.