Is Mothers’ Work Related to Childhood Weight Changes in the United States?

Abstract

Taking family structure, father's work intensity, and children's developmental stages into consideration, this study examined the effect of a mother's previous and contemporaneous work (employment and weekly work hours) on their children's weight and their likelihood of having weight problems such as obesity, overweight, and underweight. Using data from the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study-Kindergarten Class of 1998-1999 (ECLS-K), this study adopted a fixed effect model and found that for 3rd to 5th graders, an increase in mothers' previous work hours among two-parent families below the federal poverty level (FPL) increased the risk of the child being obese, while the current employment of single mothers below the FPL reduced the risk of the child being obese. Surprisingly, the employment of single mothers below the FPL increased the risk of the child being underweight, especially for 1st to 3rd graders.

Does mothers' employment affect adolescents' weight and activity levels? Improving our empirical estimates

“… Miller (2011) finds that mothers’ work hours remain statistically significant in the prediction of adolescent overweight (especially for youth in single-mother families) after controlling for social selection using child fixed effect models; by contrast, Ziol-Guest et al (2013) find maternal work hours are no longer statistically significant once they control for social selection using sibling models. It is worth noting that the few studies that account for mothers’ social selection into labor force participation to study the effects of maternal work hours for younger children’s risk of obesity also arrive at mixed conclusions ( Anderson et al, 2003 , Jung and Chang, 2016 , Morrissey et al, 2011 ). To our knowledge, no studies of adolescent physical activity or sedentary behaviors address this social selection issue.…”

The Longitudinal Association Between Early Childhood Obesity and Fathers’ Involvement in Caregiving and Decision‐Making

“…For example, by helping to prepare meals, bathing children, or assisting with child‐related decisions, fathers may alleviate maternal stress, which is associated with increased child BMI , and increase the quality of care provided by both parents. Paternal involvement may be particularly important for children who have other obesity risk factors, including living in poverty or maternal employment . Fathers with higher levels of education may confer positive health benefits to their child when they assist with caregiving and decision‐making .…”

Ten Years of Research in the Journal of Family and Economic Issues: Thoughts on Future Directions

“…A challenge is that data frequently provide limited information about mechanisms. For example, Jung and Chang (2016) demonstrated significant associations between maternal employment and childhood weight gain, but data on the potential mechanisms underlying this relationship are likely not available (e.g., meal preparation).…”