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. Author manuscript; available in PMC: 2010 Apr 1.
Published in final edited form as: Soc Sci Med. 2009 Feb 18;68(7):1305–1314. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2009.01.035

Table 2. Community level explanatory variables over time CHNS 1991- 2006.

Community level explanatory variables Statistics 1991 1997 2006
Community Infrastructure Scores (each standardized to 0-10 points)
Population 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 points assigned based on cut-points of 1000,1500, 2000, 3000 people determined by the distribution of the CHNS data and the standard strategies for classifying areas as urban or rural (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, 1993) Mean 6.1 5.8 7.2
Std. Deviation 2.9 3.0 3.0
% < 3 points 19.2 23.0 13.8
% ≥ 3 & <6 points 22.3 23.5 13.8
% ≥ 6 points 58.5 53.5 72.5
Density 2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 points assigned based on cut-points of 250, 5000, 1000 and 2000 persons/km2 determined by the distribution of the CHNS data and the standard strategies for classifying areas as urban or rural (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, 1993). Mean 6.8 6.3 6.6
Std. Deviation 2.8 3.1 3.0
% < 3 points 12.8 23.0 18.4
% ≥ 3 & <6 points 17.6 15.5 14.7
% ≥ 6 points 697 61.5 67.0
Access to markets Sum of the availability of seven goods (gains, oil, vegetable, meat, fish, beancurd, and fuel) in major shopping areas within each community at each wave, where one point was assigned for each good available within the community and half-a point was assigned for each good available in a neighboring community < 1 km away‡. Mean 4.6 5.1 4.9
Std. Deviation 3.1 3.5 3.9
% < 3 points 36.2 28.9 37.6
% ≥ 3 & <6 points 26.1 28.3 27.5
% ≥ 6 points 37.8 42.8 34.9
Transportation infrastructure Communities were assigned two points each if their leaders reported that the community had mostly paved roads, a bus-stop or train station within their perceived community boundaries and were assigned one point if there was a bus-stop or train station in a neighboring community < 1 km away‡. Mean 4.9 5.3 5.8
Std. Deviation 3.0 2.6 2.6
% < 3 points 25.5 17.7 11.5
% ≥ 3 & <6 points 32.5 38.0 32.1
% ≥ 6 points 42.0 44.4 56.4
Communication infrastructure Availability of provincial newspaper, a TV station, a radio station, telephone network, postal service, facsimile and telegraph services and a movie theatre. The information on the TV and radio station availability is based on whether ≥ 20% of households in a community reported having a TV or radio. Mean 6.5 7.5 6.3
Std. Deviation 2.5 2.4 2.0
% < 3 points 16.0 9.1 8.3
% ≥ 3 & <6 points 28.7 18.2 44.0
% ≥ 6 points 55.3 72.7 47.7
Economic Wellbeing Based on community records or leaders' report of % employment in non-agricultural jobs, % employment fully within the community, and average male wage. Mean 3.4 4.9 6.7
Std. Deviation 1.1 2.4 1.9
% < 3 points 47.9 29.4 0.9
% ≥ 3 & <6 points 52.1 44.9 35.8
% ≥ 6 points 0.0 25.7 63.3
Educational Institution Each of the five possible levels of schooling (preschool, elementary, middle, high, and vocational schools) was assigned two points if the school was located within the community. For all institutions except preschools and elementary schools, one point was assigned if the school was not in the community but was < 5 km outside the community‡. Mean 6.0 7.0 8.1
Std. Deviation 2.8 2.7 2.6
% < 3 points 19.7 8.6 6.9
% ≥ 3 & <6 points 19.7 18.7 9.6
% ≥ 6 points 60.6 72.7 83.5
Health Facilities Health facilities available within the community were given 1 point for each village or work unit clinic, 2 points for neighborhood or maternal child health (MCH) clinics, 3 points for town hospital, 4 points for district hospital, 5 points for county, work unit or army hospital, 6 points for private for city hospital, and 7 points for university hospital. Facilities available outside the community but < 10km away‡ were given half of the listed points. Mean 6.7 6.8 5.8
Std. Deviation 2.2 2.3 2.7
% < 3 points 4.8 8.6 21.1
% ≥ 3 & <6 points 33.5 28.3 26.2
% ≥ 6 points 61.7 63.1 52.8
Sanitation infrastructure Based on percentage of households in each community reporting availability of water treatment plant, and each household's overall index of the presence or absence of excreta in the vicinity (based on interviewers' observation). Mean 5.9 6.7 7.7
Std. Deviation 4.0 3.7 3.1
% < 3 points 23.9 16.0 6.4
% ≥ 3 & <6 points 33.0 33.7 33.9
% ≥ 6 points 43.1 50.3 59.6
Housing infrastructure Based on percentage of households in each community reporting use of natural gas, piped water, indoor toilets and electric lighting, and on community-level reports on the availability and reliability of electricity (hours/day). Mean 3.6 5.5 7.3
Std. Deviation 2.7 2.9 2.2
% < 3 points 55.3 30.5 4.6
% ≥ 3 & <6 points 28.2 25.1 28.0
% ≥ 6 points 16.5 44.4 67.4
Community Consumer Price Index (100 = 2006 urban Liaoning) Mean 41.9 84.1 90.3
Std. Deviation 3.6 10.0 9.7
% < 40 42.0 0.0 0.0
% ≥ 40 and < 80 58.0 42.3 14.7
% ≥ 80 0.0 57.8 85.3
Number of communities 188 187 218

Only reporting data from 1991, 1997 and 2006 because these are the baselines and final wave of interest.

Questionnaires used in the China Health and Nutrition Surveys can be found at the survey's website (CPC, online).

‡

For items involving distances, these were relative to the center of the community, determined by latitudes and longitudes on official maps.