The effect of maternal education on child health in China is studied by exploiting a change in the Compulsory Education Law from 1986. Data from four waves (2004–2011) of the China Health and Nutrition Survey are used. Variations across cohorts and provinces induced by the timing of the reform are used as instrumental variables to account for the endogeneity of education. Results show that mothers’ educational attainment has significant and sizable positive effects on their children’s health, as measured by height, weight and BMI Z-scores. Maternal education is associated with improved food structure (increased consumption of meat, egg, and dairy products) and healthier nutrient intake (increased share of calorie obtained from fat and proteins) of their offspring. Mothers who were exposed to the education reform are more knowledgeable about healthy diets and healthy behaviours than those not exposed and hence had fewer years of schooling.

Individual neighborhood environment is an important predictor of dietary behavior. Using data from four waves of the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS, 2004–2011), this study applied a panel data approach to examine the effects of neighborhood diet quality on the eating behaviors of older adults living in the same community. Results of the fixed effects estimation indicated a significant neighborhood effect within the community, and neighborhoods with high-quality diets had a significantly positive effect on the eating behavior of the elderly. The neighborhood effects on elderly eating behaviors were manifested in improved dietary structure, including decreased consumption of cereals and increased consumption of vegetables and fruits, as well as meat, eggs, and dairy products. In terms of nutrient intake, there was a significant increase in protein intake, and hence, a greater percentage of calories from protein. The estimation results were robust when different estimation methods or diet quality measures were used. Future policies for improving diet quality should consider neighborhood-level conditions, especially in rural areas where residents are closely connected and socially interact with one another.

Raising rural household income is central to narrowing the rural–urban gap and advancing common prosperity. Using data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), this study examines the impact of digital skills, a key for human capital, on rural Chinese households’ income and uses a fixed-effects model and the instrumental variable method to address endogeneity. The study finds that digital skills raise total household income, and each additional skill is associated with an increase of CNY 1678. By skill type, online business skills have the largest effect, followed by work–study skills, while entertainment–social skills are negatively associated with income. Heterogeneity analyses indicate larger gains for households with lower educational attainment and lower income, showing that a stronger regional digital environment amplifies these effects. Mechanism tests point to factor reallocation toward the nonfarm sector, via higher probabilities of off-farm employment and entrepreneurship and improved access to formal credit, as the primary pathway. Consistent with these channels, digital skills increase wages and operating income and reduce inequality in these components, as well as benefitting total income, but they have no detectable effect on property or transfer income or their dispersion. These findings point to key implications for boosting rural income growth and reducing inequality, namely strengthening digital skill development and optimizing the digital environment to enhance rural households’ endogenous income-generating capacity.