Health Care : Current Reviews

Individual and family determinants of elder care: Evidence from China health and retirement longitudinal study (CHARLS)

4^th Asia-Pacific Global Summit & Expo on Healthcare

July 18-20, 2016 Brisbane, Australia

Yifei Hou

University of Edinburgh, UK

Posters & Accepted Abstracts: Health Care Current Reviews

Abstract:

This paper aims to explain how individual characteristics and family context determine middle-aged Chinese adults giving care to elder parents. While demographic transition is putting a strain on China�??s elder care system, informal care provided by adult children remains an important form of care. Intergenerational transfer literature with �??caregiver selection�?� approach is constrained by several presumptions, and empirical study on China remains rare, partly due to data limitation. With a nationwide sample from two waves China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARS) in 2011 and 2013, this paper uses multilevel models to explore within-family and between-family determinants in adult children�??s care-giving behavior. Time transfer propensity is measured as probability of giving care, and the relationship between different types of care is discussed. Results show that child�??s proximity, competing roles, complementary care resource and family composition influence adult children�??s caregiving. The finding is in accordance with China�??s social context. Understanding of such mechanism helps to inform China�??s future eldercare policy formulation that meets the needs of individuals and families with different traits.

Biography :

Email: houyifeisysu@163.com