Impact of Education, Medical Services, and Living Conditions on Health: Evidence from China Health and Nutrition Survey

Education, medical services, and living conditions can influence individual health and health literacy. We used the 2015 China Health and Nutrition Survey data to analyze the impact of education, medical services, and living conditions on individual health by extending the Grossman model. As a result, using the instrumental variable (read, write, and draw) two-stage least square method, we found that education, medical services, and living conditions have a positive impact on individual health, both physical health and psychological health. Among them, medical services have the largest influence, followed by living conditions and education. In addition, the results are robust. However, individual characteristics, family income, and working status also affect individual health. Moreover, we observed heterogeneity in age, sex, and residence in the impact of education, medical services, and living conditions on individual health. In particular, the health of the rural elderly and elderly women is more sensitive to education, the medical services of middle-aged women and young men have a greater impact on their health, and the living conditions of the rural elderly and youth have a greater impact on their health. All the findings are helpful for optimizing the path of the Healthy China program.