Background Rapid economic and social development in China has resulted in severe air pollution and consequent adverse impacts on society. The health effects of air pollution have been widely studied. Methods Using information from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study (CHARLS) database, we established a hierarchical linear model combining pollution and socioeconomic and psychosocial variables to examine the effects of air pollution on public health in China. Local air pollution was characterized in multiple dimensions. Results The relationship of health to its determinants greatly differed between Eastern and Central/Western China. Higher education, higher income level, better life satisfaction, and long-term marriage were significantly associated with better health status among Chinese. In addition, regional healthcare resources were positively associated with the health of residents. As indicated by the hierarchical model with health as dependent variable, in Central/Western China, longest duration of good air quality in spring/summer was positively associated with health (estimated coefficient = 0.067, standard error = 0.026), while the mean Air Quality Index (AQI) in autumn/winter was inversely associated with health (estimated coefficient = −0.082, standard error = 0.031). Good air quality in the current study is defined as daily average AQI less than 35. Conclusions Duration (in days) of acceptable air quality was particularly important for improving public health. Future policies should target increased duration of good air quality while managing air pollution by controlling or decreasing severe air pollution.

Background: The issues of environmental pollution and its effects on health have become increasingly serious in China. Energy intensive sectors are not only the main energy consumers, but also the main sources of air pollution. Analyzing the health effects of energy intensive sectors and the potential health co-benefits of a low carbon industrial transition is of great importance for promoting China’s air pollution control. Methods: This study used the exposure-response (ER) relationship model and inhalation factor methods to quantitatively analyze the health effects of air pollution and forecast the potential health co-benefits in the power and steel sectors. Results: The results showed that in 2016 SO₂ and PM_2.5 emissions caused about 850,000 premature deaths, and 10 million cases of respiratory diseases and chest discomfort, resulting in health-related economic losses of 1.2 trillion Yuan, accounting for 1.6% of the GDP. Meanwhile, demand control in consumption could significantly reduce SO₂ emissions in the power and steel sectors, thus offering significant health co-benefits. However, there was still some uncertainty regarding the reduction of PM_2.5 emissions in the steel sector. Conclusions: There is a need to take advantage of the health co-benefits of emission reduction in energy intensive sectors and to adopt flexible means to stimulate their green transformation.

Chinese elderly healthcare services face problems of poor service quality, difficulty in eliminating hidden quality risks, and inadequate government supervision, primarily due to information asymmetry and insufficient supervision among providers, users, and regulatory bodies. The study addresses two key questions: How does information asymmetry influence private sector strategies in elderly healthcare public–private partnership (PPP), and what regulatory models can overcome the potential shortcomings? The study examines the influence of information asymmetry, particularly on "experience" and "credence," crucial for governance and service quality in elderly healthcare PPPs in China. By developing the novel methodology of evolutionary game theory and employing MATLAB simulations, this study analyzes private sector behavior under two distinct regulatory models. The research findings reveal a significant disparity, under the traditional "single" model; private sectors often prioritize low-quality services driven by self-interest or inadequate penalties, while the collaborative model incentivizes them to deliver higher-quality services influenced by factors such as public participation, reputational incentives, and penalties. Therefore, the paper proposed a multifaceted regulatory model based on strengthening third-party evaluation mechanisms, encouraging public participation, and refining reward and penalty systems. This proposed model will not only significantly contribute to regulatory effectiveness and quality services within elderly healthcare PPP projects, but will also serve as a reference point for government decision-makers responsible for quality services within PPP projects.