Does the earned income tax credit increase children's weight? The impact of policy‐driven income on childhood obesity

Young Jo

Health Economics, 2018, vol. 27, issue 7, 1089-1102

Abstract: I exploit substantial increases in the earned income tax credit to study how a policy‐driven change in family income affects childhood obesity. Using the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979, my difference‐in‐differences estimates indicate that the probability of being obese increased by 3 percentage points among children whose families experienced a greater income shock. A further investigation suggests that a reduction in maternal time with children played a greater role in children's weight gain than income. The paper's finding shows that a program that is not designed for health purposes, such as earned income tax credit, can have unintended effects on health outcomes.

Date: 2018
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https://doi.org/10.1002/hec.3658

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:27:y:2018:i:7:p:1089-1102

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