Working Paper: NBER ID: w19344
Authors: Silvia Prina; Heather Royer
Abstract: The rise of childhood obesity in less developed countries is often overlooked. We study the impact of body weight report cards in Mexico. The report cards increased parental knowledge and shifted parental attitudes about children's weight. We observe no meaningful changes in parental behaviors or children's body mass index. Interestingly, parents of children in the most obese classrooms were less likely to report that their obese child weighed too much relative to those in the least obese classrooms. As obesity rates increase, reference points for appropriate body weights may rise, making it more difficult to lower obesity rates.
Keywords: childhood obesity; parental knowledge; weight report cards; Mexico
JEL Codes: I12; I18; O54
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| Weight report cards (Y10) | Parental knowledge (G53) |
| Weight report cards (Y10) | Parental beliefs about child's weight (J13) |
| Weight report cards (Y10) | Parental behaviors (J12) |
| Weight report cards (Y10) | Children's BMI (Y10) |
| Parental knowledge (G53) | Parental behaviors (J12) |
| Parental beliefs about child's weight (J13) | Parental behaviors (J12) |
| Parental behaviors (J12) | Children's BMI (Y10) |