Peer Effects on Childhood and Adolescent Obesity in China

Peng Nie, Alfonso Sousa-Poza and Xiaobo He

No 8528, IZA Discussion Papers from Institute of Labor Economics (IZA)

Abstract: Using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), this study analyzes peer effects on obesity in a sample of 3- to 18-year-old children and adolescents in China. Even after a rich set of covariates and unobserved individual heterogeneity are controlled for, it is evident that such peer effects do indeed exist. These effects are stronger in rural areas, among individuals at the upper end of the BMI distribution, and especially among females. All else being equal, female adolescents whose peers have a higher BMI are less likely to consider themselves overweight, suggesting that peer effects may be working through changed societal bodyweight norms.

Keywords: BMI; children and adolescents; peer effects; China (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: C14 I10 I15 J13 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Pages: 46 pages
Date: 2014-10
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-cna, nep-hea, nep-tra and nep-ure
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (4)

Published - published in: China Economic Review, 2015, 35, 47-69

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Journal Article: Peer effects on childhood and adolescent obesity in China (2015)
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