Xi Chen, PhD
Associate Professor of Public Health (Health Policy) and Associate Professor at Institution for Social and Policy Studies; Affiliated Faculty, Alzheimer's Disease Research Center (ADRC); Affiliated Faculty, Yale Institute for Global Health; Affiliated Faculty, Department of Economics
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Research Summary
His research endeavors focus on economics and public policies on population aging, and global health systems. Currently, his main research projects involve: 1) Economics of cognitive aging and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), using both medical claims data and survey data to investigate how cognitive aging may affect decision-making and healthcare utilization, and ADRD care quality, costs and equity; 2) Pension, retirement policies and health of the aging population; 3) The impact of environmental pollution and climate change on older adults; 4) life course factors and healthy aging.
Extensive Research Description
Professor Chen currently works on the following projects:
- Leading a research team on economics of cognitive aging and Alzheimer's disease and related dementias (ADRD), using both medical claims data and survey data to investigate how cognitive aging may affect decision-making and healthcare utilization, and ADRD care quality, costs and equity;
- Leading investigations on social security reforms, retirement policies and health of the aging population;
- Leading a research team to better understand the long lasting impact of air pollution and climate change on happiness, mental health, cognitive functioning, productivity, and the economy;
- Co-leading a team to explores the linkage between the two ends of life to better understand how early childhood circumstances determine health disparities in old age;
- Evaluating major medical reforms in China that affect behavior and well-being of 1.4 billion population;
- Working on a novel transdisciplinary project, the CHALLENGE (China Longitudinal Environmental, Genetic, and Economic Cohort), that studies 30,000 children aged 0-6 years old who were recruited at conception;
- Co-leading a longitudinal household survey in rural China with a unique social network data collection to better understand social networks and health behaviors.
Research Interests
Aging; Air Pollution; Alzheimer Disease; Child; Cognition; Dementia; Economics; Medicare; Pensions; Retirement; Social Behavior; Climate Change; Big Data
Public Health Interests
Aging; Community Health; Global Health; Health Economics; Health Policy; Infectious Diseases; Nutrition; Obesity; Substance Use, Addiction; Child/Adolescent Health; Health Equity, Disparities, Social Determinants and Justice; Perinatal/Prenatal Health; Pollution; COVID-19
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Life Course Health
Goal: Socioenvironmental circumstances during childhood and adulthood and behavioral factors account for a sizable proportion of differences in aging. We quantify dimensions of aging and disentangle how various factors coalesce to produce between-person differences in aging. In the long term, our studies in this area aim to draw important implications for potential interventions. We recently developed and validated a novel multi-system-based aging measure, Phenotypic Age, which has been shown to capture mortality and morbidity risk in the full U.S. population and diverse subpopulations. We also evaluated associations between a comprehensive set of factors, including childhood and adulthood circumstances, and aging outcomes for the Americans and Chinese, to determine what contribute to differences in aging measures. We also investigated inequality in health expenditures and smoking.
Selected Publications
- Understanding Health and Social Challenges for Aging and Long-Term Care in China.Yang W, Wu B, Tan SY, Li B, Lou VWQ, Chen ZA, Chen X, Fletcher JR, Carrino L, Hu B, Zhang A, Hu M, Wang Y. Understanding Health and Social Challenges for Aging and Long-Term Care in China. Research On Aging 2021, 43: 127-135. PMID: 32677535, PMCID: PMC7961665, DOI: 10.1177/0164027520938764.
- Prevalence of Memory-Related Diagnoses Among U.S. Older Adults With Early Symptoms of Cognitive Impairment.Qian Y, Chen X, Tang D, Kelley AS, Li J. Prevalence of Memory-Related Diagnoses Among U.S. Older Adults With Early Symptoms of Cognitive Impairment. The Journals Of Gerontology. Series A, Biological Sciences And Medical Sciences 2021, 76: 1846-1853. PMID: 33575783, PMCID: PMC8436977, DOI: 10.1093/gerona/glab043.
- Adverse childhood circumstances and cognitive function in middle-aged and older Chinese adults: Lower level or faster decline?Lin Z, Chen X. Adverse childhood circumstances and cognitive function in middle-aged and older Chinese adults: Lower level or faster decline? SSM - Population Health 2021, 14: 100767. PMID: 33855158, PMCID: PMC8025052, DOI: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100767.
- The role of institutional trust in preventive practices and treatment-seeking intention during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak among residents in Hubei, China.Wong LP, Wu Q, Hao Y, Chen X, Chen Z, Alias H, Shen M, Hu J, Duan S, Zhang J, Han L. The role of institutional trust in preventive practices and treatment-seeking intention during the coronavirus disease 2019 outbreak among residents in Hubei, China. International Health 2022, 14: 161-169. PMID: 33945613, PMCID: PMC8135875, DOI: 10.1093/inthealth/ihab023.
- Health Inequality among Chinese Older Adults: The Role of Childhood Circumstances.Yan B, Chen X, Gill TM. Health Inequality among Chinese Older Adults: The Role of Childhood Circumstances. The Journal Of The Economics Of Ageing 2020, 17 PMID: 32064224, PMCID: PMC7021249, DOI: 10.1016/j.jeoa.2020.100237.
- Attributable risk and economic cost of hospital admissions for mental disorders due to PM2.5 in Beijing.Wu Z, Chen X, Li G, Tian L, Wang Z, Xiong X, Yang C, Zhou Z, Pan X. Attributable risk and economic cost of hospital admissions for mental disorders due to PM2.5 in Beijing. The Science Of The Total Environment 2020, 718: 137274. PMID: 32109812, DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2020.137274.
- Barriers of effective health insurance coverage for rural-to-urban migrant workers in China: a systematic review and policy gap analysis.Chen S, Chen Y, Feng Z, Chen X, Wang Z, Zhu J, Jin J, Yao Q, Xiang L, Yao L, Sun J, Zhao L, Fung H, Wong EL, Dong D. Barriers of effective health insurance coverage for rural-to-urban migrant workers in China: a systematic review and policy gap analysis. BMC Public Health 2020, 20: 408. PMID: 32228665, PMCID: PMC7106835, DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-8448-8.
- Impacts of social and economic factors on the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China.Qiu Y, Chen X, Shi W. Impacts of social and economic factors on the transmission of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China. Journal Of Population Economics 2020, 33: 1127-1172. PMID: 32395017, PMCID: PMC7210464, DOI: 10.1007/s00148-020-00778-2.
- Associations between prenatal sunshine exposure and birth outcomes in China.Zhang X, Wang Y, Chen X, Zhang X. Associations between prenatal sunshine exposure and birth outcomes in China. The Science Of The Total Environment 2020, 713: 136472. PMID: 31955080, PMCID: PMC7047502, DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.136472.
- Impacts of Social and Economic Factors on the Transmission of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China.Qiu Y, Chen X, Shi W. Impacts of Social and Economic Factors on the Transmission of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) in China. MedRxiv : The Preprint Server For Health Sciences 2020 PMID: 32511444, PMCID: PMC7239065, DOI: 10.1101/2020.03.13.20035238.
- Leaving Money on the Table? Suboptimal Enrollment in the New Social Pension Program in China.Chen X, Hu L, Sindelar J. Leaving Money on the Table? Suboptimal Enrollment in the New Social Pension Program in China. The Journal Of The Economics Of Ageing 2020, 15 PMID: 32864327, PMCID: PMC7453761, DOI: 10.1016/j.jeoa.2019.100233.
- Comparison of health care utilization among patients affiliated and not affiliated with healthcare professionals in China.Si Y, Zhou Z, Su M, Hu H, Yang Z, Chen X. Comparison of health care utilization among patients affiliated and not affiliated with healthcare professionals in China. BMC Health Services Research 2020, 20: 1118. PMID: 33272275, PMCID: PMC7713311, DOI: 10.1186/s12913-020-05895-y.
- Depression in the house: The effects of household air pollution from solid fuel use among the middle-aged and older population in China.Liu Y, Chen X, Yan Z. Depression in the house: The effects of household air pollution from solid fuel use among the middle-aged and older population in China. The Science Of The Total Environment 2020, 703: 134706. PMID: 31731156, DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2019.134706.
- Linking early life risk factors to frailty in old age: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study.Li Y, Xue QL, Odden MC, Chen X, Wu C. Linking early life risk factors to frailty in old age: evidence from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study. Age And Ageing 2020, 49: 208-217. PMID: 31957780, PMCID: PMC7047816, DOI: 10.1093/ageing/afz160.
- Spatial Lifecourse Epidemiology Reporting Standards (ISLE-ReSt) statement.Jia P, Yu C, Remais JV, Stein A, Liu Y, Brownson RC, Lakerveld J, Wu T, Yang L, Smith M, Amer S, Pearce J, Kestens Y, Kwan MP, Lai S, Xu F, Chen X, Rundle A, Xiao Q, Xue H, Luo M, Zhao L, Cheng G, Yang S, Zhou X, Li Y, Panter J, Kingham S, Jones A, Johnson BT, Shi X, Zhang L, Wang L, Wu J, Mavoa S, Toivonen T, Mwenda KM, Wang Y, Verschuren WMM, Vermeulen R, James P. Spatial Lifecourse Epidemiology Reporting Standards (ISLE-ReSt) statement. Health & Place 2020, 61: 102243. PMID: 32329723, DOI: 10.1016/j.healthplace.2019.102243.
- Measuring spatial accessibility and within-province disparities in accessibility to county hospitals in Shaanxi Province of Western China based on web mapping navigation data.Shen C, Zhou Z, Lai S, Lu L, Dong W, Su M, Zhang J, Wang X, Deng Q, Chen Y, Chen X. Measuring spatial accessibility and within-province disparities in accessibility to county hospitals in Shaanxi Province of Western China based on web mapping navigation data. International Journal For Equity In Health 2020, 19: 99. PMID: 32552715, PMCID: PMC7302366, DOI: 10.1186/s12939-020-01217-0.
- How and to what extent can pensions facilitate increased use of health services by older people: evidence from social pension expansion in rural China.Chen S, Chen X, Law S, Lucas H, Tang S, Long Q, Xue L, Wang Z. How and to what extent can pensions facilitate increased use of health services by older people: evidence from social pension expansion in rural China. BMC Health Services Research 2020, 20: 1008. PMID: 33148248, PMCID: PMC7640495, DOI: 10.1186/s12913-020-05831-0.
- Does money relieve depression? Evidence from social pension expansions in China.Chen X, Wang T, Busch SH. Does money relieve depression? Evidence from social pension expansions in China. Social Science & Medicine (1982) 2019, 220: 411-420. PMID: 30530234, PMCID: PMC6800113, DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2018.12.004.
- Associations of genetics, behaviors, and life course circumstances with a novel aging and healthspan measure: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study.Liu Z, Chen X, Gill TM, Ma C, Crimmins EM, Levine ME. Associations of genetics, behaviors, and life course circumstances with a novel aging and healthspan measure: Evidence from the Health and Retirement Study. PLoS Medicine 2019, 16: e1002827. PMID: 31211779, PMCID: PMC6581243, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002827.
- Smog, Cognition and Real-World Decision-Making.Chen X. Smog, Cognition and Real-World Decision-Making. International Journal Of Health Policy And Management 2019, 8: 76-80. PMID: 30980620, PMCID: PMC6462201, DOI: 10.15171/ijhpm.2018.105.
- Decomposing inequality in catastrophic health expenditure for self-reported hypertension household in Urban Shaanxi, China from 2008 to 2013: two waves' cross-sectional study.Si Y, Zhou Z, Su M, Wang X, Lan X, Wang D, Gong S, Xiao X, Shen C, Ren Y, Zhao D, Hong Z, Bian Y, Chen X. Decomposing inequality in catastrophic health expenditure for self-reported hypertension household in Urban Shaanxi, China from 2008 to 2013: two waves' cross-sectional study. BMJ Open 2019, 9: e023033. PMID: 31076467, PMCID: PMC6528006, DOI: 10.1136/bmjopen-2018-023033.
- Top 10 Research Priorities in Spatial Lifecourse Epidemiology.Jia P, Lakerveld J, Wu J, Stein A, Root ED, Sabel CE, Vermeulen R, Remais JV, Chen X, Brownson RC, Amer S, Xiao Q, Wang L, Verschuren WMM, Wu T, Wang Y, James P. Top 10 Research Priorities in Spatial Lifecourse Epidemiology. Environmental Health Perspectives 2019, 127: 74501. PMID: 31271296, PMCID: PMC6791465, DOI: 10.1289/EHP4868.
- China in transition: health, wealth, and globalisation.Liu GG, Chen X. China in transition: health, wealth, and globalisation. The Lancet. Public Health 2019, 4: e444-e445. PMID: 31493838, PMCID: PMC6790332, DOI: 10.1016/S2468-2667(19)30151-3.
- China CDC Weekly: Bridging the Global and Chinese Public Health Communities.Chen X. China CDC Weekly: Bridging the Global and Chinese Public Health Communities. China CDC Weekly 2019, 1: 43-44. PMID: 34594601, PMCID: PMC8424668.
- Socio-Economic Inequalities in Tobacco Consumption of the Older Adults in China: A Decomposition Method.Si Y, Zhou Z, Su M, Wang X, Li D, Wang D, He S, Hong Z, Chen X. Socio-Economic Inequalities in Tobacco Consumption of the Older Adults in China: A Decomposition Method. International Journal Of Environmental Research And Public Health 2018, 15 PMID: 29997376, PMCID: PMC6069145, DOI: 10.3390/ijerph15071466.
- Air pollution associated with non-suicidal self-injury in Chinese adolescent students: A cross-sectional study.Liu W, Sun H, Zhang X, Chen Q, Xu Y, Chen X, Ding Z. Air pollution associated with non-suicidal self-injury in Chinese adolescent students: A cross-sectional study. Chemosphere 2018, 209: 944-949. PMID: 30114744, PMCID: PMC6100799, DOI: 10.1016/j.chemosphere.2018.06.168.
- The impact of exposure to air pollution on cognitive performance.Zhang X, Chen X, Zhang X. The impact of exposure to air pollution on cognitive performance. Proceedings Of The National Academy Of Sciences Of The United States Of America 2018, 115: 9193-9197. PMID: 30150383, PMCID: PMC6140474, DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1809474115.
- Does daughter deficit promote paternal substance use? Evidence from China.Chen X. Does daughter deficit promote paternal substance use? Evidence from China. Journal Of Hospital Management And Health Policy 2018, 2 PMID: 30406215, PMCID: PMC6217791, DOI: 10.21037/jhmhp.2018.08.04.
- Assessing the effects of the percentage of chronic disease in households on health payment-induced poverty in Shaanxi Province, China.Lan X, Zhou Z, Si Y, Shen C, Fan X, Chen G, Zhao D, Chen X. Assessing the effects of the percentage of chronic disease in households on health payment-induced poverty in Shaanxi Province, China. BMC Health Services Research 2018, 18: 871. PMID: 30458772, PMCID: PMC6245518, DOI: 10.1186/s12913-018-3698-1.
- Do skewed sex ratios among children promote parental smoking? Longitudinal evidence from rural China.Chen X. Do skewed sex ratios among children promote parental smoking? Longitudinal evidence from rural China. Journal Of Substance Use 2018, 23: 366-370. PMID: 30918465, PMCID: PMC6433401, DOI: 10.1080/14659891.2017.1421273.
- The Impact of Social Pensions on Intergenerational Relationships: Comparative Evidence from China.Chen X, Eggleston K, Sun A. The Impact of Social Pensions on Intergenerational Relationships: Comparative Evidence from China. The Journal Of The Economics Of Ageing 2018, 12: 225-235. PMID: 30534523, PMCID: PMC6286058, DOI: 10.1016/j.jeoa.2017.04.001.
- Valuing Air Quality Using Happiness Data: The Case of China.Zhang X, Zhang X, Chen X. Valuing Air Quality Using Happiness Data: The Case of China. Ecological Economics : The Journal Of The International Society For Ecological Economics 2017, 137: 29-36. PMID: 28989234, PMCID: PMC5626438, DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolecon.2017.02.020.
- Old age pension and intergenerational living arrangements: a regression discontinuity design.Chen X. Old age pension and intergenerational living arrangements: a regression discontinuity design. Review Of Economics Of The Household 2017, 15: 455-476. PMID: 29051720, PMCID: PMC5642942, DOI: 10.1007/s11150-015-9304-y.
- Happiness in the Air: How Does a Dirty Sky Affect Mental Health and Subjective Well-being?Zhang X, Zhang X, Chen X. Happiness in the Air: How Does a Dirty Sky Affect Mental Health and Subjective Well-being? Journal Of Environmental Economics And Management 2017, 85: 81-94. PMID: 29081551, PMCID: PMC5654562, DOI: 10.1016/j.jeem.2017.04.001.
- Old-Age Pension and Extended Families: How is Adult Children's Internal Migration Affected?Chen X. Old-Age Pension and Extended Families: How is Adult Children's Internal Migration Affected? Contemporary Economic Policy 2016, 34: 646-659. PMID: 28408796, PMCID: PMC5386403, DOI: 10.1111/coep.12161.
- Relative deprivation and individual well-being: Low status and a feeling of relative deprivation are detrimental to health and happiness.Chen X. Relative deprivation and individual well-being: Low status and a feeling of relative deprivation are detrimental to health and happiness. IZA World Of Labor : Evidence-based Policy Making 2015, 2015 PMID: 29034098, PMCID: PMC5638129, DOI: 10.15185/izawol.140.
- Commercial plasma donation and individual health in impoverished rural China.Chen X. Commercial plasma donation and individual health in impoverished rural China. Health Economics Review 2014, 4: 30. PMID: 26208930, PMCID: PMC4502079, DOI: 10.1186/s13561-014-0030-6.
- Gift-giving and network structure in rural China: utilizing long-term spontaneous gift records.Chen X. Gift-giving and network structure in rural China: utilizing long-term spontaneous gift records. PloS One 2014, 9: e102104. PMID: 25111696, PMCID: PMC4128647, DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0102104.
- Fetus, fasting, and festival: the persistent effects of in utero social shocks.Chen X. Fetus, fasting, and festival: the persistent effects of in utero social shocks. International Journal Of Health Policy And Management 2014, 3: 165-9. PMID: 25279378, PMCID: PMC4181965, DOI: 10.15171/ijhpm.2014.92.