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Are some neighborhoods bad for your waistline? A test of neighborhood exposure effects on BMI

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  • Ou, Susan

Abstract

I study the causal impact of neighborhoods on body mass index (BMI). Through exploiting variation in the number of years individuals have lived in their neighborhood, using a data set from California, I examine if there exist causal effects of exposure to neighborhoods with high potential effects on one's BMI. The identifying assumption is that there are no unobserved individual level characteristics correlated with both BMI and moving, after controlling for observables. I find evidence that suggests that neighborhoods do not have a causal impact on BMI.

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  • Ou, Susan, 2019. "Are some neighborhoods bad for your waistline? A test of neighborhood exposure effects on BMI," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 63(C), pages 52-63.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:63:y:2019:i:c:p:52-63
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2018.10.007
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    2. Chenyang Wang & Zhiping Zhen & Nan Zhao & Chenlin Zhao, 2021. "Associations between Fast-Food Restaurants Surrounding Kindergartens and Childhood Obesity: Evidence from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(17), pages 1-15, September.
    3. Ashlesha Datar & Nancy Nicosia & Anya Samek, 2022. "Heterogeneity in Place Effects on Health: The Case of Time Preferences and Adolescent Obesity," NBER Working Papers 29935, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    4. Chen, Lipeng & Liu, Wanlin, 2022. "The effect of Internet access on body weight: Evidence from China," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).

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