Health gap grows in U.S., narrows in China

RALEIGH, N.C., March 17 (UPI) -- In the United States and China the rich tend to be healthier than the poor, but in China the gap is narrowing, unlike in the United States, researchers found.

Researchers at North Carolina State University and the University of Chicago analyzed data collected from more than 7,000 adults in China in the course of 13 years to track changes in the health of the study participants.

The study found the health gap between people of high and low socioeconomic status in China increased significantly over their lifetime.

"This reflects the cumulative disadvantage of the lower socioeconomic classes, who have less access to medical care, nutrition and other health-related factors over time" lead author Dr. Feinian Chen of North Carolina State said in a statement. "This finding is consistent with similar studies done recently on the U.S. population."

The health gap between the advantaged and the disadvantaged has shrunk with each successive (Chinese) generation, Chen said.

"This is the exact opposite of what has been found in studies of the U.S. population, where the health gap has been shown to widen with each generation," Chen said.

The findings are published in the American Sociological Review.