The Influence Of Natural Disasters On Rural Children’s Physical Health And Analysis Of The Effect Of Government Measures

Background: China is a significant agricultural producer,but natural disasters frequently affect its agricultural development,which can cause extensive losses to rural families engaged in agricultural production,particularly to vulnerable groups such as rural children.Effective government measures are crucial for mitigating the impact of natural disasters on rural families.Purpose: This study constructs a conceptual framework based on disaster economics,family output,and adaptive emergency management theories to investigate the impact and mechanism of natural disasters on rural children’s health,as well as the buffering effects of three types of government measures: subsidy distribution,infrastructure reconstruction,and production development recovery.Methods: The study uses panel data from the China Family Panel Studies in 2010 and 2014,employing fixed-effects models to examine overall regression,intermediate effects,and moderating effects.Robustness checks are performed using various methods,such as identification of government measures,replacement of child health proxy variables,the use of ordered selection models,and independent sample T test of government measures.Results: Natural disasters significantly negatively impact children’s health,regardless of their BMI or sickness frequency,by reducing daily food consumption and increasing mothers’ outmigration for work.However,the three types of government measures effectively mitigate this impact on rural children’s BMI status,with varying effectiveness depending on the child’s age,type of family production activities,disaster type,and geographic region.Discussion and Conclusion: This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of government measures in mitigating the impact of natural disasters on rural children’s health,proposing policy recommendations that promote the systematic and stable development of emergency management,particularly in post-disaster reconstruction stages.This will enhance decision-makers’ attention to improving the safeguarding of disaster-affected children and achieve a coordinated arrangement of China’s emergency management system for a comprehensive and coordinated sustainable development.The findings provide valuable insights for future research and policy-making efforts.