Working Paper: NBER ID: w13488
Authors: Alan C. Monheit; Jessica P. Vistnes; Jeannette A. Rogowski
Abstract: We consider two compelling research questions raised by the increased prevalence of overweight among adolescents. First, what factors explain variation in adolescent bodyweight and the likelihood of being overweight? Next, do overweight adolescents incur greater health care expenditures compared to those of normal weight? We address the former question by examining the contribution of individual characteristics, economic factors, parental and family attributes, and neighborhood characteristics to variation in these bodyweight outcomes. For the second question, we estimate a two-part, generalized linear model of health spending. Using data from the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, our econometric analyses indicate that adolescent bodyweight and the likelihood of being overweight are strongly associated with parental bodyweight, parental education, parental smoking behavior, and neighborhood attributes such as the availability of fresh food markets and convenience/snack food outlets, and neighborhood safety and material deprivation. Our expenditure model indicates that overweight females have annual expenditures that exceed those of normal weight by nearly $800 with part of the disparity explained by differences in mental health expenditures. We use both sets of empirical results to draw implications for policies to address adolescent overweight.
Keywords: adolescents; overweight; health expenditures
JEL Codes: I1
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Parental bodyweight (J13) | Adolescent bodyweight (I10) |
| Education (I29) | Adolescent bodyweight (I10) |
| Smoking habits (I12) | Adolescent bodyweight (I10) |
| Neighborhood characteristics (R23) | Adolescent bodyweight (I10) |
| Adolescent bodyweight (I10) | Health expenditures (H51) |
| Mental health conditions (I12) | Health expenditures (H51) |
| Adolescent bodyweight (I10) | Mental health conditions (I12) |
| Neighborhood attributes (R20) | Adolescent bodyweight (I10) |