The Connection Between Maternal Employment and Childhood Obesity: Inspecting the Mechanisms

Angela Fertig (), Gerhard Glomm () and Rusty Tchernis
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Angela Fertig: University of Georgia

No 2006-020, CAEPR Working Papers from Center for Applied Economics and Policy Research, Department of Economics, Indiana University Bloomington

Abstract: This paper investigates the channels through which maternal employment affects childhood obesity. We use time diaries and interview responses from the Child Development Supplement of the Panel Study of Income Dynamics which combine information on children’s time allocation and mother’s labor force participation. Our empirical strategy involves estimating the effect of children’s activities and meal routines on BMI, estimating the effect of maternal employment on these activities and routines and then combining these two estimates. We find that maternal employment affects child weight through two main mechanisms – supervision and nutrition, however, the particular channels vary by mother’s education.

Keywords: Childhood Obesity; Labor Supply; Time Allocations (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: H75 I12 J13 J22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 37 pages
Date: 2006-12
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-hea and nep-pbe
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (26)

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Journal Article: The connection between maternal employment and childhood obesity: inspecting the mechanisms (2009)
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:inu:caeprp:2006020

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