The impact of family health resources on the economic risk of diseases in rural China: based on a path analysis

OBJECTIVES: Family health resources are critical elements for rural households to withstand health shocks. However, the mechanisms through which these resources are linked to the economic risk of diseases remain unclear. Grounded in the Conservation of Resources (COR) theory, this study investigates the association of family health resources with the economic risk of diseases among rural households. METHODS: Utilizing data from the 2020 wave of the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS), the economic risk of diseases was quantified using the Three-Stage Feasible Generalized Least Squares (FGLS) method. Path analysis was employed to examine the direct effects and the mediating roles. RESULTS: The average score of family health resources among rural households was 3.34 ± 0.73. A total of 400 households (9.42%) were identified as high-risk. Family health resources significantly predicted a significantly lower economic risk of diseases (P < 0.001). Mechanism analysis revealed that resource quantity is associated with economic risk through three mediating functions: positive effects from accumulation and investment function, and a negative effect from compensation function.The mediation effects of these three functions accounted for 12.492%, 2.580%, 7.196% of the total effect, respectively. Compared to overall resource-disadvantaged households, the resource-balanced advantaged households demonstrated stronger mediation proportions through the accumulation function and investment function-29.774% and 9.548%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Family health resources are negatively associated with the economic risk of diseases by promoting the accumulation and investment functions while a lower reliance on the compensation function. Targeted optimization of family health resource allocation is needed to strengthen resilience against disease-related economic risk.