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Obesity and Employment in Ireland: Moving Beyond BMI

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  • Mosca, Irene

Abstract

I use data from the first wave of the Irish Longitudinal Study on Ageing (TILDA) to investigate the impact of obesity on the labour market status of older Irish individuals. I employ an anthropometric indicator of body composition (waist circumference) along with body mass index. I include a wide array of subjective and objective health indicators in the empirical model. I find that obese women are less likely to be at work. However, both the magnitude and statistical significance of this correlation are sensitive to the definition of obesity. Factors other than socioeconomic characteristics and health are also found to play a role in explaining why obese older women are less likely to be employed. Much weaker evidence is found for men.

Suggested Citation

  • Mosca, Irene, 2012. "Obesity and Employment in Ireland: Moving Beyond BMI," Papers WP431, Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI).
    • Handle: RePEc:esr:wpaper:wp431
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Edel Doherty & Michelle Queally & Ciaran O’Neill, 2015. "An examination of the relationships between service use and alternative measures of obesity among community-dwelling adults in Ireland," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 16(9), pages 951-956, December.

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    Keywords

    BMI/data/employment/Individuals/Ireland/labour market/older/Waist Circumference;

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