SpringerLink
Log in

Migration, Migrants and Health in Flux

  • Chapter
  • First Online:
The Health Status of Internal Migrants in China

Abstract

At the time of writing this book, there are more than 240 million internal migrants in flux in China, which is a large number in any country or region. In the setting of social transition, most migrants move from rural areas to urban areas and become migrant workers or businessmen in China.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Log in via an institution

Subscribe and save

Springer+ Basic
EUR 32.99 /Month
  • Get 10 units per month
  • Download Article/Chapter or Ebook
  • 1 Unit = 1 Article or 1 Chapter
  • Cancel anytime
Subscribe now

Buy Now

Chapter
EUR 29.95
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
EUR 96.29
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
EUR 128.39
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free ship** worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
EUR 128.39
Price includes VAT (Germany)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free ship** worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Adler, N. E., & Newman, K. (2002). Socioeconomic disparities in health: Pathways and policies. Health Affairs, 21(2), 60–76.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Alcalá, H. E., Sharif, M. Z., & Albert, S. L. (2016). Social cohesion and the smoking behaviors of adults living with children. Addictive Behaviors, 53, 201–205.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berkman, L. F., Kawachi, I., & Glymour, M. M. (2014). Social epidemiology. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Cai, X., Yang, F., & Bian, Y. (2019). Gap analysis on hospitalized health service utilization in floating population covered by different medical insurances: Case study from Jiangsu Province, China. International Journal for Equality in Health, 18, e84.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, J. (2011). Internal migration and health: Re-examining the healthy migrant phenomenon in China. Social Science and Medicine, 72(8), 1294–1301.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, J., Chen, S., & Landry, P. F. (2013). Migration, environmental hazards, and health outcomes in China. Social Science and Medicine, 80, 85–95.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chen, Y., & Zhang, Y. (2015). The inequality effect and social integration in urbanization. Social Sciences in China (6), 78–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheng, M., **, Y., Gai, Q. E., & Shi, Q. (2014). Focusing on education or health improvement for anti-poverty in rural China: Evidence from national household panel data. Economic Research Journal (11), 130–144.

    Google Scholar 

  • Chuang, Y.-C., Chuang, K.-Y., & Yang, T.-H. (2013). Social cohesion matters in health. International Journal for Equality in Health, 12, e87.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Deindl, C., Brandt, M., & Hank, K. (2016). Social networks, social cohesion, and later-life health. Social Indicators Research, 126, 1175–1187.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ecob, R., & Smith, G. D. (1999). Income and health: What is the nature of the relationship? Social Science and Medicine, 48(5), 693–705.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erdem, Ö., Lenthe, F. J. V., Prins, R. G., Voorham, T. A. J. J., & Burdorf, A. (2016). Socioeconomic inequalities in psychological distress among urban adults: The moderating role of neighborhood social cohesion. PLoS ONE, 11(6), e0157119.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Erdem, Ö., Prins, R. G., Voorham, T. A. J. J., Lenthe, F. J. v., & Burdorf, A. (2015). Structural neighbourhood conditions, social cohesion and psychological distress in the Netherlands. European Journal of Public Health, 25(6), 995–1001.

    Google Scholar 

  • Fan, X. (2019). Health status of Chinese migrants: Problems and countermeasures. Macroeconomic Management (4), 42–47.

    Google Scholar 

  • Grossman, M. (1972). On the concept of health capital and the demand for health. Journal of Political Economy, 80(2), 223–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Han, J., & Meng, Y. (2019). Institutional differences and geographical disparity: The impact of medical insurance on the equality of health services utilization by the floating elderly population: Evidence from China. International Journal for Equality in Health, 18, e91.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • He, Z. (2009). The roadmap of social management reform in China. Bei**g: National School of Administration Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Holmes, L. M., & Marcelli, E. A. (2014). Neighborhood social cohesion and smoking among legal and unauthorized Brazilian migrants in Metropolitan Boston. Journal of Urban Health: Bulletin of the New York Academy of Medicine, 91(6), 1175–1188.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hong, S., Zhang, W., & Walton, E. (2014). Neighborhoods and mental health: Exploring ethnic density, poverty, and social cohesion among Asian Americans and Latinos. Social Science and Medicine, 111, 117–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hou, Z., Lin, S., & Zhang, D. (2017). Social capital, neighbourhood characteristics and utilisation of local public health services among domestic migrants in China: A cross-sectional study. British Medical Journal Open, 7(8), e014224.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hu, R., & Chen, S. (2012). Social factors influencing peasant workers’ mental health. Chinese Journal of Sociology, 32(6), 135–157.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ikeda, A., & Kawachi, I. (2010). Social networks and health. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jerrim, J., & Macmillan, L. (2015). Income inequality, intergenerational mobility, and the Great Gatsby Curve: Is education the key? Social Forces, 94(2), 505–533.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ji, Y., Liu, S., Zhao, X., Jiang, Y., Zeng, Q., & Chang, C. (2016). Smoking and its determinants in Chinese internal migrants: Nationally representative cross-sectional data analyses. Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 18(8), 1719–1726.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, C. (2006). Pressure on health burden of migrant workers in unfair employment environment and its alleviation. Reform of Economic System (5), 111–114.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jiang, J., & Wang, P. (2018). Health status in a transitional society: Urban-rural disparities from a dynamic perspective in China. Population Health Metrics, 16, e22.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jones, N. L., Gilman, S. E., Cheng, T. L., Drury, S. S., Hill, C. V., & Geronimus, A. T. (2019). Life course approaches to the causes of health disparities. American Journal of Public Health, 109(S1), S48–S55.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, C.-O. (2016). Discrimination-related health inequality and role of social capital among marriage migrant women in South Korea. International Journal for Equity in Health, 15, e176.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kim, E. S., & Kawachi, I. (2017). Perceived neighborhood social cohesion and preventive healthcare use. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 53(2), 35–40.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lecerof, S. S., Stafström, M., Westerling, R., & Östergren, P.-O. (2016). Does social capital protect mental health among migrants in Sweden? Health Promotion International, 31(3), 644–652.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Levecque, K., & Rossem, R. V. (2015). Depression in Europe: Does migrant integration have mental health payoffs? A cross-national comparison of 20 European countries. Ethnicity & Health, 20(1), 49–65.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Li, J., Wang, T., & Sun, Z. (2018). From health advantage to health disadvantage: The epidemiological paradox in rural migrants. Population Research, 42(6), 46–60.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liang, Y., Hou, B., & Li, S. (2017). The influence of living pressure and living conditions on the mental health of migrant workers. Urban Problems (9), 94–103.

    Google Scholar 

  • Link, B. G., & Phelan, J. (1995). Social conditions as fundamental causes of disease. Journal of Health & Social Behavior, Extra Issue: Forty Years of Medical Sociology: The State of the Art and Directions for the Future, 35, S80–S94.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, H. (2018). Dealing with the mental health problems of migrants actively, China Population News.

    Google Scholar 

  • Liu, L., Gao, H., & Zhang, Y. (2018). The psychological health of floating population and its determinants: The perspective of community integration. Fudan Journal (Social Sciences Edition) (4), 158–166.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lozano, P., Fleischer, N. L., Moore, S., Shigematsu, L. M. R., Santillá, E. A., & Thrasher, J. F. (2016). Does neighborhood social cohesion modify the relationship between neighborhood social norms and smoking behaviors in Mexico? Health & Place, 40, 145–152.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu, H., Qiu, H., Yang, L., & Qian, W. (2018). Review and analytical framework on rural-urban migrants’ health research. Issues in Agricultural Economy (1), 110–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lu, N., & Wang, Y. (2019). Neighborhood and mental health of migrants in China. Journal of Social Development, 6(2), 175–189.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lu, S., Chen, S., & Wang, P. (2019). Language barriers and health status of elderly migrants: Micro-evidence from China. China Econimic Review, 54, 94–112.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu, Y. (2012). Household migration, social support, and psychosocial health: The perspective from migrant-sending areas. Social Science and Medicine, 74(2), 135–142.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lu, Y., & Qin, L. (2014). Healthy migrant and salmon bias hypotheses: A study of health and internal migration in China. Social Science and Medicine, 102, 41–48.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ma, C., Qu, Z., & Song, Z. (2018). Inequality of opportunity of floating population’ health care under the integrated medical insurance system: Paradox of the ex-ante or ex-post compensation principle. China Industrial Economics (2), 100–117.

    Google Scholar 

  • Ma, C., & Smith, T. E. (2017). Increased alcohol use after Hurricane Ike: The roles of perceived social cohesion and social control. Social Science and Medicine, 190, 29–37.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maleku, A., Kim, Y. K., & Lee, G. (2019). Social cohesion and immigrant health: Does language-efficacy matter? International Journal of Migration, Health and Social Care, 15(1), 17–30.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security of China. (2016). Notice of direct settlement of medical expenses for basic medical insurance across provinces. Retrieved from http://www.mohrss.gov.cn/gkml/zcfg/gfxwj/201612/t20161215_262040.html.

  • Mi, S., Li, B., & Zhu, Q. (2016). The impact of social captial on the health status of rural-urban migrant workers. Issues in Agricultural Economy, 37(9), 42–53.

    Google Scholar 

  • Muennig, P., Cohen, A. K., Palmer, A., & Zhu, W. (2013). The relationship between five different measures of structural social capital, medical examination outcomes, and mortality. Social Science and Medicine, 85(3), 18–26.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nauman, E., VanLandingham, M., Anglewicz, P., Patthavanit, U., & Punpuing, S. (2015). Rural-to-urban migration and changes in health among young adults in Thailand. Demography, 52(1), 233–257.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Niu, J. (2013). Migration and its impact on the differences in health between rural and urban residents in China. Social Sciences in China (2), 46–63.

    Google Scholar 

  • Niu, J., Zheng, Z., Zhang, L., & Zeng, X. (2011). Labor migrants’ working and living environments and the related health impacts: Evidence from Shenzhen. Population Research, 35(3), 64–75.

    Google Scholar 

  • Palloni, A., & Arias, E. (2004). Paradox lost: Explaining the hispanic adult mortality advantage. Demography, 41(3), 385–415.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Palmer, N., & Xu, Q. (2013). Social capital, migration and health in the urban Chinese context. Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, 39(1), 31–50.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Peng, B.-L., & Ling, L. (2019). Association between rural-to-urban migrants’ social medical insurance, social integration and their medical return in China: A national representative cross-sectional data analysis. BMC Public Health, 19, e86.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perez, L. G., Arredondo, E. M., McKenzie, T. L., Holguin, M., Elder, J. P., & Ayala, G. X. (2015). Neighborhood social cohesion and depressive symptoms among Latinos: Does use of community resources for physical activity matter? Journal of Physical Activity & Health, 12(10), 1361–1368.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (2001). Social capital: Measurement and consequences. Canadian Journal of Policy Research, 2(1), 41–51.

    Google Scholar 

  • Putnam, R. D. (2002). Democracies in flux: The evolution of social capital in contemporary society. New York: Oxford University Press.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Qi, Y., Niu, J., Mason, W., & Treiman, D. (2012). China’s internal migration and health selection effect. Population Research, 36(1), 102–112.

    Google Scholar 

  • Qiaohong Yang, D. O., Zaller, N., Huang, W., Dong, Y., & Zhang, H. (2018). Depression and its correlations with health risk behaviors and social capital among female migrants working in entertainment venues in China. PLoS ONE, 13(2), e0191632.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Qin, L., Wang, Z., & Jiang, Z. (2014). The migration and health of migrant workers in China: Panel evidence based on relocation sites. World Economic Papers (6), 44–59.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rodriguez-Alvarez, E., Lanborena, N., & Borrell, L. N. (2019). Health services access inequalities between native and immigrant in a southern European region. International Journal of Health Services, 49(1), 108–126.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ruijsbroek, A., Droomers, M., Hardyns, W., Groenewegen, P. P., & Stronks, K. (2016). The interplay between neighbourhood characteristics: the health impact of changes in social cohesion, disorder and unsafety feelings. Health & Place, 39, 1–8.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shang, Y., Ding, S., & Shi, Z. (2019). The health selection or the migration effects? An analysis of the health differentials between different migration type of the rural labor. South China Population, 34(3), 13–24.

    Google Scholar 

  • Shao, S., Wang, M., **, G., Zhao, Y., Lu, X., & Du, J. (2018). Analysis of health service utilization of migrants in Bei**g using Anderson health service utilization model. BMC Health Services Research, 18, e462.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sirin, S. R., Gupta, T., & Rogers-Sirin, L. (2013). The role of acculturative stress on mental health symptoms for immigrant adolescents: A longitudinal investigation. Development Psychology, 49(4), 736–748.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Song, Q., & Zhang, Q. (2018). Research on health status of the elderly migrant population in China and its determinants. Chinese Journal of Population Science (4), 81–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Taylor, A., & Foster, J. (2015). Migrant workers and the problem of social cohesion in Canada. Journal of International Migration and Integration, 16(1), 153–172.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tian, Y. (2014). Comparison of urban assimilation between family and non-family rural migrants. Issues in Agricultural Economy(12), 53–62.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tong, Y., & Piotrowski, M. (2012). Migration and health selectivity in the context of internal migration in China, 1997-2009. Population Research and Policy Review, 31(4), 497–543.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Ullmann, S. H., Goldman, N., & Massey, D. S. (2011). Healthier before they migrate, less healthy when they return? The health of returned migrants in Mexico. Social Science and Medicine, 73(3), 421–428.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vries, S. d., Dillen, S. M. E. v., Groenewegen, P. P., & Spreeuwenberg, P. (2013). Streetscape greenery and health: stress, social cohesion and physical activity as mediators. Social Science & Medicine, 94, 26–33.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, C., & Zhang, C. (2017). Migrant children and rural-urban migrant’s integration to the city. Sociological Research (2), 199–224.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, H., Zhang, D., Hou, Z., Yan, F., & Hou, Z. (2018). Association between social health insurance and choice of hospitals among internal migrants in China: A national cross-sectional study. British Medical Journal Open, 8, e018440.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, J., & Hu, Q. (1996). Chinese internal migrants. Shanghai: Shanghai University of Finance & Economics Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, J., **e, H., & Jiang, B. (2008). Multilevel methods and application. Bei**g: Higher Education Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, L., & Zhou, H. (2018). Migration and health selectivity. Northwest Population, 39(6), 13–22.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, P., & Chen, X. (2015). Social capital, social cohesion and health attainment: Taking example for rural-to-urban migrants. Journal of Huazhong University of Science and Technology (Social Science Edition), 29(3), 81–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Wang, W. W., & Fan, C. C. (2012). Migrant workers’ integration in urban China: Experiences in employment, social adaptation, and self-identity. Eurasian Geography and Economics, 53(6), 731–749.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wu, W., & Wang, H. (2002). Living in big cities: The housing conditions of migrants in Bei**g and Shanghai. Sociological Research (3), 92–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • **e, G. (2012). Returns to human capital and social integration of migrants in China. Social Sciences in China (4), 103–124.

    Google Scholar 

  • **ong, G. (2009). Research on the political exclusion of Chinese migrants. Bei**g: China Renmin University Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang, B., Li, S., & Attane, I. (2015). Risky sexual behaviors among male migrants: Perspective of socioeconomic status and social capital. Nan**g Journal of Social Sciences (1), 91–99.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yang, J. (2015). Research on the assimilation of the floating population in China. Social Sciences in China (2), 61–79.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yin, D., Wong, S. T., Chen, W., **n, Q., Wang, L., Cui, M., et al. (2015). A model to estimate the cost of the National Essential Public Health Services Package in Bei**g, China. BMC Public Health, 15, e222.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Yu, L. (2016). The effects of living conditions and working environment on health to the new generation migrant workers. Zhejiang Social Sciences (5), 75–84.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yu, L., & Zhu, Y. (2018). The influence of residential segregation on migrants’ health: Based on the national dynamic monitoring of migrant health survey in 2014. Shandong Social Sciences (6), 120–128.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yu, X., & Sun, Y. (2017). The income difference between rural and urban floating migrants: The quantile regression based on data of 2015 dynamic monitoring of floating population. Population Research, 41(1), 84–97.

    Google Scholar 

  • Yue, J., & Li, X. (2014). Health consciousness and health service utilization of the floating population in the Pearl River Delta area: A community perspective. Journal of Public Management, 11(4), 125–135.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhai, Z., & Duan, C. (2006). China’s migration at the turn of centuries. Bei**g: China Population Publishing House.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, C. (2011). Empirical analysis on impact of health change on labor supply and income. Economic Review (4), 79–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhang, Q. (1988). Issues on migration and the concept of migrants. Population Studies (3), 17–18.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhao, H. (2015). The wage disparity between migrants and urban residents: Analysis based on occupational segregation. World Economic Papers (2), 91–108.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, L., Hu, R., Dong, Z., & Hao, Y. (2018). Comparing the needs and utilization of health services between urban residents and rural-to-urban migrants in China from 2012 to 2016. BMC Health Services Research, 18, e717.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Zheng, Z., & Lian, P. (2006). Health vulnerability among temporary migrants in urban China. China Labor Economics, 1(1), 82–93.

    Google Scholar 

  • Zhou, H. (2012). Measurement and theoretical perspectives of immigrant assimilation in China. Population Studies, 36(3), 27–37.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Health Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

    Junfeng Jiang

Authors
  1. Junfeng Jiang
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Junfeng Jiang .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Population and Health Research Center, School of Health Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China

    Peigang Wang

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2020 Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.

About this chapter

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this chapter

Jiang, J. (2020). Migration, Migrants and Health in Flux. In: Wang, P. (eds) The Health Status of Internal Migrants in China. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4415-6_1

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4415-6_1

  • Published:

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore

  • Print ISBN: 978-981-15-4414-9

  • Online ISBN: 978-981-15-4415-6

  • eBook Packages: Social SciencesSocial Sciences (R0)

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation