Peer effects on obesity in a sample of European children

Wencke Gwozdz, Alfonso Sousa-Poza, Lucia A. Reisch, Karin Bammann, Gabriele Eiben, Yiannis Kourides, Éva Kovács, Fabio Lauria, Kenn Konstabel, Alba M. Santaliestra-Pasias, Krishna Vyncke and Iris Pigeot

Economics & Human Biology, 2015, vol. 18, issue C, 139-152

Abstract: This study analyzes peer effects on childhood obesity using data from the first two waves of the IDEFICS study, which applies several anthropometric and other measures of fatness to approximately 14,000 children aged two to nine participating in both waves in 16 regions of eight European countries. Peers are defined as same-sex children in the same school and age group. The results show that peer effects do exist in this European sample but that they differ among both regions and different fatness measures. Peer effects are larger in Spain, Italy, and Cyprus – the more collectivist regions in our sample – while waist circumference generally gives rise to larger peer effects than BMI. We also provide evidence that parental misperceptions of their own children's weight goes hand in hand with fatter peer groups, supporting the notion that in making such assessments, parents compare their children's weight with that of friends and schoolmates.

Keywords: Peer effects; Children; Obesity; Europe (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I12 J13 J22 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2015
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (8)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:18:y:2015:i:c:p:139-152

DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2015.05.002

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