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Childhood obesity in China: Does grandparents’ coresidence matter?

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  • He, Qinying
  • Li, Xun
  • Wang, Rui

Abstract

Childhood obesity in China has been increasingly cited as a major public health issue in recent decades. The effect of grandparents on grandchildren’s weight outcome is under-analyzed. Using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey, we examine the effect of grandparents’ coresidence on childhood weight outcome with a sample of 2–13-year-old children in China. We use instrumental variables to address the potential endogeneity of grandparents’ coresidence. We show that the effect of grandparents’ coresidence on childhood weight outcome is significantly positive. Grandparents’ coresidence affects a grandchild’s weight outcome through changes in dietary patterns and physical activity. The effects on dietary patterns exist in urban areas and significantly lower in rural areas. Grandparents’ coresidence decreases physical activity more in rural areas than in urban areas. Furthermore, the effects of coresidence on protein intake and physical activities of children above 6 are significantly higher for males than females. A robustness check, including an ordered logit model with a body mass index category and estimation with additional data, validates our findings.

Suggested Citation

  • He, Qinying & Li, Xun & Wang, Rui, 2018. "Childhood obesity in China: Does grandparents’ coresidence matter?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 29(C), pages 56-63.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:29:y:2018:i:c:p:56-63
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2018.02.001
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    Cited by:

    1. Eiji Yamamura, 2021. "View about consumption tax and grandchildren," Papers 2102.04658, arXiv.org.
    2. Ao, Xiang & Chen, Xuan & Zhao, Zhong, 2022. "Is care by grandparents or parents better for children's non-cognitive skills? Evidence on locus of control from China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 71(C).
    3. Jing Zhang & Zongye Cai & Huamin Peng & Tom Emery, 2022. "Early Childhood Care Trends and Associations with Child Health Well-being in China: Evidence from the CHNS 1991 to 2011 Data," Applied Research in Quality of Life, Springer;International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies, vol. 17(5), pages 2789-2807, October.
    4. Jian Yu & Zhonggen Zhang, 2021. "Does Living with Grandparents Affect Children’s and Adolescents’ Health? Evidence from China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(22), pages 1-15, November.
    5. Wang, Sophie Xuefei & Bansak, Cynthia, 2022. "Are Grandparents a Good Substitute for Parents as the Primary Caregiver? The Impact of Grandparents on Children's Academic Performance," GLO Discussion Paper Series 1100, Global Labor Organization (GLO).
    6. Wang, Sophie Xuefei & Bansak, Cynthia, 2024. "Are grandparents a good substitute for parents as the primary caregiver? The impact of grandparents on Children's academic performance," Labour Economics, Elsevier, vol. 88(C).
    7. Yang, Jinyang & Chen, Xi, 2022. "Grandfathers and Grandsons: Social Security Expansion and Child Health in China," IZA Discussion Papers 15239, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    8. Tanya Nieri & Arianna Zimmer & Jai Mica Vaca & Alison Tovar & Ann Cheney, 2022. "A Systematic Review of Research on Non-Maternal Caregivers’ Feeding of Children 0–3 Years," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(21), pages 1-20, November.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Childhood obesity; Grandparent; Coresidence; Nutrition intake; Physical activity;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health
    • D1 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior
    • O1 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economic Development

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