Abstract
OBJECTIVE: This study measured the incidence of multidimensional poverty in childhood and decomposed the poverty index to explore the impact of multidimensional poverty in childhood on disability in middle-aged and older adult. METHODS: The A-F poverty double identification method was employed to assess children's multidimensional poverty, and in accordance with standard scientific research methods, its influence on the disability status of middle-aged and older adult was analyzed through Probit regression. Robustness testing was conducted using the propensity score matching method. RESULTS: (1) Multidimensional poverty in childhood increased the probability of disability among middle-aged and older adult by about 4.2%. (2) Heterogeneous results indicated that childhood multidimensional poverty had differential urban-rural impacts on the disability status of middle-aged and older adult (P < 0.05). (3) Multidimensional poverty in childhood had long-term negative consequences for both men and women, with significant adherence (P < 0.05). In contrast, the negative impact on women's health status was greater. CONCLUSIONS: Children's needs vary across generations. In times of extreme resource scarcity, childhood poverty is primarily related to a lack of material resources. Multidimensional poverty in childhood affects the health status of middle-aged and older adult mainly through deprivation of material resources.