The connection between maternal employment and childhood obesity: inspecting the mechanisms

Fertig, Angela R.; Glomm, Gerhard; Tchernis, Rusty

doi:10.1007/s11150-009-9052-y

Cited by 156 publications

(161 citation statements)

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“…The relationship between the employment status of parents and children's weight status has been the subject of several studies during the past decade [32] [33] [45] [49]- [56]. There may be a positive and significant relationship between the average number of hours a mother works per week and overweight in children, but this relationship is not systematic and varies, depending on the age of children.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…There may be a positive and significant relationship between the average number of hours a mother works per week and overweight in children, but this relationship is not systematic and varies, depending on the age of children. For some authors [49]- [56], a child was more likely to be overweight and obese if his/her mother worked many hours per week. In contrast, Strauss and Knight [45] believe that children with parents who do not work are more likely to become obese than children with parents who have managerial occupations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Relationship between Children’s Body Mass Index and Parents’ Obesity and Socioeconomic Status: A Multilevel Analysis Applied with Luxembourg Data

Tchicaya¹,

Lorentz²

2014

Health

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Obesity in children is a health crisis because the problem is increasing in most developed countries. This study measures the relationship between body mass index (BMI) of children aged 7 -12 years residing in Luxembourg and the weight and socioeconomic status of their parents. The data used are from the 2007 Socio-Economic Panel Liewen zu Lëtzebuerg/European Union-Statistics on Income and Living Conditions survey, which covers a population of approximately 10,000 people. The study sample includes 775 children whose weight and height were recorded to calculate their BMI. The descriptive analysis with the socioeconomic distribution of the children's BMI and the multilevel logistic regression of the probability to be in overweight or obese were performed. The mean BMI of children was 17.4 kg/m² for boys and girls. The prevalence of overweight was 21.2% (including 3% who were obese). Weight status, educational level, physical activity, and eating habits of parents were associated with BMI in children. Furthermore, children of foreign nationality had 2.9 times more risk to be overweight or obese than other children of Luxembourg nationality (OR = 2.90, 95%CI: 1.38 -6.10). Children living in household with at least one parent who was obese were 6.51 times more likely to be in overweight or obese compared to those in household with both parents normal (OR = 6.51, 95%CI: 2.48 -17.08). Overall, nationality and weight status of parents were the main determinants of children's weight status. Promoting healthy diets and regular physical activity and educating parents on the consequences of overweight and obesity on children's health in adulthood are effective strategies to control overweight and obesity.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Relationship between Children’s Body Mass Index and Parents’ Obesity and Socioeconomic Status: A Multilevel Analysis Applied with Luxembourg Data

Tchicaya¹,

Lorentz²

2014

Health

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“…Likewise, using diary data from the Child Development Supplement (CDS) of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics (PSID), Fertig et al (2009) reveal that maternal employment affects a child's inclination to perform activities like reading and watching TV. In a more recent study, Bonke and Greve (2012), using the Danish Time-Use and Consumption Survey (DTUC) from 2008/09 with information on fathers', mothers' and children's time use, find no evidence of a relation between parental working hours and children's time allocations.…”

Section: Previous Researchmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A growing body of literature has emerged that addresses the relation between maternal employment and child obesity 1 , most of which studies originate in the United States (Anderson et al, 2003;Benson and Mokhtari, 2011;Cawley and Liu, 2012;Fertig et al, 2009;Herbst and Tekin, 2011;Liu et al, 2009;Miller, 2011;Miller and Han, 2008;Morrissey et al, 2011;Ruhm, 2008). Research on this topic has also been conducted in Australia (Bishop, 2011;Brown et al, 2010;Champion et al, 2012;Zhu, 2007), Canada (Baker and Milligan, 2008;Chia, 2008;Phipps et al, 2006), Japan (Gaina et al, 2009) and the UK (Champion et al, 2012;Hawkins et al, 2007;Scholder, 2008), Denmark (Greve, 2011) and Spain (Garcia et al, 2006).…”

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confidence: 99%

Maternal employment and childhood obesity – A European perspective

Gwozdz

Sousa‐Poza

Reisch

et al. 2013

Journal of Health Economics

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The substantial increase in female employment rates in Europe over the past two decades has often been linked in political and public rhetoric to negative effects on child development, including obesity. We analyse this association between maternal employment and childhood obesity using rich objective reports of various anthropometric and other measures of fatness from the IDEFICS study of children aged 2-9 in 16 regions of eight European countries.Based on such data as accelerometer measures and information from nutritional diaries, we also investigate the effects of maternal employment on obesity's main drivers: calorie intake and physical activity. Our analysis provides little evidence for any association between maternal employment and childhood obesity, diet or physical activity. JEL-Classification: I12, J13, J22

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“…21 Children with working mothers watch more television than children whose mothers do not work outside the home. 22 In addition, working mothers spend less time cooking and eating with their children than mothers who do not work outside the home, which increases the probability that the family will consume prepared foods. These decreases in time spent cooking and eating with children are only slightly offset by increases in time spent at such activities by husbands or partners.…”

Section: Economic Factors and Childhood Obesitymentioning

confidence: 99%

The Economics Of Childhood Obesity

2010

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In the past few decades, obesity rates among American children have skyrocketed. Although many factors have played a part in this unhealthy increase, this paper focuses on how economic policies may be contributing to our children's growing girth and how these policies might be altered to reverse this trend. It examines the economic causes and consequences of obesity, the rationales for government intervention, the cost-effectiveness of various policies, and the need for more research funding.I n the twenty-five years that elapsed between surveys conducted in 1971-1974 and in 1999-2000, the prevalence of obesity rose from 5 percent to 10.4 percent among two-to-five-year-olds; from 4 percent to 15.3 percent among six-to-elevenyear-olds; and from 6.1 percent to 15.5 percent among twelve-to-nineteen-year-olds. 1,2 Economic Factors And Childhood ObesityChildhood obesity is a complex, multidisciplinary issue, so the search for solutions requires information sharing across many fields. To promote such exchange, this paper describes research findings from the field of economics. Relative to other disciplines, economics has only recently been applied to the study of obesity. As a result, there are many useful applications yet to be made.Economics offers several useful tools for the study of childhood obesity: insights into the economic causes and consequences of obesity, clearly defined rationales for government intervention in markets, and the use of cost-effectiveness analysis for comparing policies to prevent or reduce obesity. This paper summarizes recent research in each of those areas. It concludes by discussing the implications for health policy.Economic explanations for the recent rise in obesity tend to focus on changes that give people incentives to consume more or to burn fewer calories. These include the following.FOOD PRICES The real price of food (the price of food adjusted for inflation across all goods and services) has declined greatly in recent decades. For example, between 1990 and 2007 the real price of a two-liter bottle of Coca-Cola fell 34.89 percent, and that of a McDonald's quarter-pounder with cheese fell 5.44 percent.3 Some research indicates that reductions in the price of food account for 41-43 percent of the rise in young adults' body mass index (BMI) between 1981 and 1994. 4 BMI is most sensitive to the price of fast food in particular for youth from families of low socioeconomic status.5 The real price of fruit and vegetables rose 17 percent between 1997 and 2003, 6 an increase that some studies have linked to higher BMI in American children and adolescents. 7,8 AGRICULTURAL POLICIES The decline in the price of food could be due to agriculture policies. However, several studies have concluded that such policies have little impact on consumer prices of energy-dense foods.9,10 About half of farm subsidies are based on historic, not current, production, which limits incentives for farmers to increase output.9 Moreover, U.S. farm policy raises John Cawley (JHC38@cornell .ed...

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The connection between maternal employment and childhood obesity: inspecting the mechanisms

Cited by 156 publications

References 39 publications

Relationship between Children’s Body Mass Index and Parents’ Obesity and Socioeconomic Status: A Multilevel Analysis Applied with Luxembourg Data

Relationship between Children’s Body Mass Index and Parents’ Obesity and Socioeconomic Status: A Multilevel Analysis Applied with Luxembourg Data

Maternal employment and childhood obesity – A European perspective

The Economics Of Childhood Obesity

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