Changing Dietary Habits Early in Life: A Field Experiment with Low-Income Families

Michèle Belot, Noémi Berlin (), Jonathan James and Valeria Skafida
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Michèle Belot: Cornell University [New York]
Noémi Berlin: EconomiX - EconomiX - UPN - Université Paris Nanterre - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Jonathan James: University of Bath [Bath]
Valeria Skafida: The University of Edinburgh

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Abstract: We evaluate the malleability of dietary habits early on in life with two interventions targeting low-income families with very young children. The interventions were conducted over twelve weeks and evaluated with a field experiment involving 285 families. Families in the treatment groups were asked to either prepare healthy meals with ingredients delivered to their door, or to avoid snacking and eat at regular times. We find that both interventions decreased children's Body Mass Index (BMI) relative to the control group. The effect persisted for three years for the first intervention, but faded away for the second.

Keywords: Dietary Habits; Early Life; Healthy Eating; Field Experiments; Obesity (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.science/hal-04647948v1
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Published in Journal of Political Economy Microeconomics, 2024, 2 (4), pp.000-000. ⟨10.1086/732126⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04647948

DOI: 10.1086/732126

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