Determinants of Hypertension and Diabetes in an Urban Chinese Population (2013)

Undergraduate: Logan Mauney

Faculty Advisor: David Guilkey
Department: Economics

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The rise of obesity has augmented the incidence and burden of nutrition-related non-communicable diseases such as Type II diabetes and cardiovascular disease that lead to significant lifestyle adjustments and higher rates of mortality. In 2010 the world prevalence of diabetes among adults was found to be 6.4% and is expected to rise to 7.7% by 2030, with 69% of that increase in developing countries. In the early 80s, China enacted significant economic reforms, which have led to rapid industrialization and concurrent urban migration. Since that time, cardiovascular disease has become the leading cause of death, 9.7% of the population has been diagnosed with diabetes, and 15.5% have been found to have pre-diabetes, with individuals twice as likely to be diagnosed with either chronic disease in an urban context. In my research I examine the effect of various health behaviors and socioeconomic determinants on the health outcomes of hypertension and diabetes in an Urban Chinese population. I used individual and community-level longitudinal survey data across nine provinces beginning in 1989. Using the diagnosis of hypertension and diabetes as dependent variables, I utilize probit functions to estimate a linear probability model. Though complete results are pending further estimations, certain consumption behaviors and decreased physical activity lead to higher rates of both diabetes and hypertension.