Search results

This study analysed the multidimensional child poverty status in China between 1989 and 2009, using the China Health and Nutrition survey data. Based on the Alkire–Foster method for measuring poverty, a multidimensional poverty index was calculated and further decomposed into seven deprivation dimensions: nutrition, water, sanitation, health, education, shelter and information. The study has four main findings: (1) The multidimensional child poverty rate in China declined gradually where the sanitation facility was most severely deprived; (2) The poverty gap between rich and poor provinces remained over the years; (3) The urban–rural disparity was reduced in all seven dimensions; (4) The poorest of the poor climbed out of ultra‐poverty and became the moderately poor or even the non‐poor.

Introduction: Physical activity is a key component of a healthy lifestyle for youths with visual impairments (i.e., blindness or low vision). This study aims to examine the habitual physical activity and sedentary time of Chinese children and adolescents with visual impairments and to determine whether age, gender, and body composition significantly influence their behavior. Methods: A purposeful sample method was utilized to recruit 137 Chinese youths with visual impairments from a special school for individuals with visual and hearing impairments. A total of 72 students with visual impairments (aged 7–17 years; M age = 13.4) participated in this study. ActiGraph GT3X accelerometers were used to measure the habitual physical activity and sedentary time. Results: Youths with visual impairments in this study spent an average of 287.86 (standard deviation [ SD] = 45.67) minutes of light physical activity, 146.79 ( SD = 56.95) minutes of moderate physical activity, 18.47 ( SD = 15.15) minutes of vigorous physical activity, 165.26 ( SD = 69.83) minutes of moderate-to-vigorous-intensity physical activity, and 979.51 ( SD = 109.10) minutes of sedentary time per day. Children with visual impairments in elementary school engaged in more habitual physical activity and had less sedentary time than did students in middle and high school. Differences in gender and body composition with regard to time spent being active or sedentary were insignificant. Discussion: Findings demonstrated that Chinese youths with visual impairments in this study had sufficient health-enhancing physical activity and were habitually active. Future research is needed to identify the factors that account for the high habitual physical activity levels of Chinese youths with visual impairments. Implications for practitioners: Transition planning for students with visual impairments to facilitate active habitual physical activity participation when children grow up is warranted.

AbstractFocusing on rural household poverty in China, this article takes social capital as an entry point and uses the 2018 CFPS database to study the effects and mechanisms of social capital on absolute income, relative income, absolute poverty, and relative poverty of rural households. The results find that social capital can significantly increase the income of rural households and reduce the probability of poverty; also, the householder's education has a certain substitution effect on social capital, which can significantly weaken the income increasing effect of social capital; social capital has a more significant role in increasing the income of poor families and helps to narrow the income gap; social capital can promote income diversification, however, income diversification shows a negative impact on household income and poverty; poverty acceptance has a significant mediating effect in the process of social capital's influence on household poverty, and social capital can further promote household income increase and poverty reduction by suppressing poverty acceptance. In this regard, the government can strengthen rural infrastructure construction, inclination of educational resources and labour skills training, and promote positive rural culture, to increase the social capital of rural households, help them increase their income, achieve poverty alleviation, and prevent them from returning to poverty again.

This paper compares the major child poverty alleviation policy in Hong Kong and the urban regions of Mainland China, i.e. Comprehensive Social Security Allowance (CSSA) Scheme and Minimum Living Security Standards (MLSS), respectively. It aims to examine whether CSSA and MLSS can tackle child poverty, to identify similarities and dissimilarities of CSSA and MLSS, and finally to suggest future policy implications or directions. A methodology of comprehensive systematic review is used to search for the relevant literature. The findings show that children living in poor families faced food consumption difficulties, lived in overcrowded environment and lacked education‐related financial support and learning resources. Children's rights emphasized in the UNCRC (United Nations, 1989) in different dimensions of living standards were often unmet due to the limited support from these two cash transfer policies. Poor children experiencing multiple disadvantages need more than just monetary or material assistance. Such findings can provide evidence for policy makers to craft holistic responses to meet the needs and remove the barriers that poor children face in China.