Proficiency in Mandarin and health status among older adults in megacities of China: The mediating role of social participation

A significant social concern exists regarding the well-being of older adults, particularly their health. Using data from the 2012–2021 Chinese General Social Survey with 2258 older adults aged 60 to 101 years, this paper examines the impact of proficiency in Mandarin, the national common language of China, on health among older adults in megacities of China and the underlying mechanisms that facilitate this relationship. The ordered Probit model estimates suggest that proficiency in Mandarin positively predicts the health status of Chinese older adults. The findings remain robust after controlling for multiple factors influencing health and addressing potential endogeneity issues by instrumental variable approach. Furthermore, the effect is more pronounced among older adults who are male, below the age of 80, less educated, and without migration experience. The mechanism analysis demonstrates that social participation plays a mediating role in this relationship. The findings highlight linguistic-specific implications for health policy and emphasizes the need for support in improving proficiency in language and social participation among older adults to advance health governance and active aging initiatives.