Intergenerational and Urban-Rural Health Habits in Chinese Families

Objective: To explore intergenerational health habits and compare differences between urban and rural families.
Methods: A total of 2500 families with children ages 6-18 in China were surveyed regarding their health habits.
Results: Urban families reported significantly greater food variety and more time exercising (for fathers and children) than did rural families. Children's exercise time was associated with fathers' exercise time, whereas children's drinking and smoking were associated with mothers' drinking and smoking.
Conclusions: These linkages across generations in health habits highlight the need to develop preventive strategies with consideration for intergenerational influences and rural-urban differences.
JOUR
Li, Li
Lin, Chunqing
Cao, Haijun
Lieber, Eli
2009
American Journal of Health Behavior
33
2
172-80
10.5993/AJHB.33.2.6
523