The Effects of Migration and Household Wealth on Child Health Outcomes in the Context of Rapid Urbanization: The Case of Phnom Penh, Cambodia

Emily Treleaven, University of California, San Francisco
Zachary Zimmer, University of California, San Francisco

How migration status impacts on health disparities among children within the context of rapid urbanization is not well understood. The issue is studied here in Cambodia, which has undergone rapid urbanization over the last decade, with high rates of migration to its capital, Phnom Penh. As a result, many young children have moved to the city with parents and many are raised among the urban poor. While child health indicators have seen overall improvement during this period, inequalities may still exist. Using data from Cambodian Socio-Economic Surveys, this study examines how wealth and migrant status associates with child health, and analyzes whether these associations have changed from 2004 to 2009 in concert with rapid urbanization. Specifically, we examine whether wealth and migrant status gradients in children’s health have changed, and whether this is also a function of neighborhood contextual factors. Preliminary results indicate disparities have widened as urbanization has increased.