The health effects of individual characteristics and environmental factors in China: Evidence from the hierarchical linear model

Environmental pollution and its health risks to human beings have been becoming increasingly serious in China, and the health status of the individuals is not only affected by their environment but also by their own characteristics and socio-economic status. Based on the survey data of China Family Panel Studies (2014), three hierarchical linear models at three levels of individual, family, and community were developed to investigate the influencing factors of individual health status. The results indicate that: (1) there exists significant difference among individual health status, of which 16% and 9.11% are caused by the family and community levels, respectively; (2) the average health status of men is better than that of women by 6.95%. As for the difference in health effects produced by gender, total household income can reduce this difference; (3) age has significant negative health effects, while the level of education has positive effect on individual health status; and (4) the health effects of pollution is mainly reflected by its interaction with gender; in particular, when men and women face the same level of pollution exposure, men are more susceptible.