Marital Status and Health Condition: An Comparison between China, Korea, Taiwan and Japan

Over the years there has always been an interest in the relationship between the two important variables for people: marital status and health. With the development of economic and the society, the nature of marriage and family has changed a lot nowadays. In the case that the value of marriage is coming under increased scrutiny and many aspects of marital roles are changing, it is necessary to find whether or not marriage is still associated with enhanced well-being.
Data for this analysis come from the EASS (East Asian Social Survey) Health Module conducted in 2010. Our study found that, there are almost no significant impact of marital status on people’s subjective health condition and physical health, but there are significant impacts on people’s mental health and health related habits. The married people always feel calm and energetic more frequently than the unmarried people significantly, and the married couples always feel less depressed and downhearted. The health related living habits are also different between the married and the unmarried. Married people smoke significantly more frequently than unmarried people in China, but significantly less frequently than unmarried people in Japan and South Korea. Married people drink alcohol significantly more frequently than unmarried people in Japan.