Health perception biases and risky health behaviours in China

Using data from the 2011 and 2015 China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study, this paper analyzes the relation between health perception biases and risky health behaviours among adults aged 45 and older. We compare objective health outcomes (including hypertension, dyslipidemia and diabetes) with perceived conditions to assess absolute health perception biases and hypothesize that the role of biased health perceptions is a potential predictor for risky health behaviours. We provide evidence for the existence of positive absolute health perception biases and further document clear associations between health overconfidence and higher probabilities of alcohol consumption, overweight, and obesity, with the notable exception of smoking.