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Family Ties and Children Obesity in Italy

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  • Crudu, F.;
  • Neri, L.;
  • Tiezzi, S.;

Abstract

This paper estimates the influence of overweight family members on weight outcomes of Italian children aged 6 to 14 years. We use a new dataset matching the 2012 cross sections of the Italian Multipurpose Household Survey and the Household Budget Survey. Endogenous peer groups within the family are accounted for using a set of instrumental variables. We find evidence of a strong, positive effect of both overweight adults and peer children in the family on children weight outcomes. The impact of overweight peer children in the household is larger than the impact of adults. These findings can help identifying the main factors driving the rise in Italian children obesity in the past few decades.

Suggested Citation

  • Crudu, F.; & Neri, L.; & Tiezzi, S.;, 2018. "Family Ties and Children Obesity in Italy," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 18/09, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    • Handle: RePEc:yor:hectdg:18/09
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    children obesity; family ties; IV probit; heteroskedasticity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior

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