Intergenerational Obesity Transmission and Correlations of Human Capital Accumulation
- Presenter:
Chair: Vilma Carande-Kulis; Discussant: TBA Wed June 7, 2006 8:00-9:30 Room 226
The goal of this research is to provide an estimate of the intergenerational persistence of obesity and its influence on human capital accumulation. I measure the intergenerational correlation of weight status between women and their children when both are at similar stages of development. This study contributes to the literature on the role of health as a mechanism in the correlation of economic status between generations. Prior studies of obesity have found a strong relationship between weight status and economic outcomes. Thus, the transmission of obesity between generations may explain a portion of the intergenerational correlations of economic status that have previously been characterized. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 (NLSY79) and the Children and Young Adults of the NLSY79, I compute the Body Mass Index (BMI) of women and their children when both generations are between the ages of 16 and 24. In the sample used, the measured intergenerational correlation of BMI is roughly 0.35. This result differs by the gender of the offspring with a BMI correlation between female children and their mothers of 0.38, compared to a significantly lower BMI correlation of 0.32 between mothers and their sons. Intragenerational correlations are slightly lower and are highest for same-gender siblings. Women who were overweight in early adulthood are found to have a lower likelihood of high school completion and produce offspring who are also less likely to complete high school.
