Maternal Employment and Childhood Obesity in China: Evidence from the China Health and Nutrition Survey

31 Pages Posted: 15 Mar 2014

See all articles by Peng Nie

Peng Nie

Xi'an Jiaotong University

Alfonso Sousa-Poza

University of Hohenheim - Institute of Household and Consumer Economics; IZA Institute of Labor Economics

Abstract

Using five waves from the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS), we investigate the association between maternal employment and obesity in children aged 3–17 in both rural and urban China. Using BMI and waist circumference as measures for pediatric adiposity, we provide scant evidence for its relation to maternal employment. We also find no strong association between maternal employment and our measures for children's diet and physical activity. Our study also suggests that grandparenting could have beneficial effects on childhood obesity.

Keywords: childhood obesity, maternal employment, China

JEL Classification: I12, J13, J22

Suggested Citation

Nie, Peng and Sousa-Poza, Alfonso, Maternal Employment and Childhood Obesity in China: Evidence from the China Health and Nutrition Survey. IZA Discussion Paper No. 8030, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2409552 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2409552

Peng Nie (Contact Author)

Xi'an Jiaotong University ( email )

No. 74 Yanta West Road
Xi'an, 710061
China

Alfonso Sousa-Poza

University of Hohenheim - Institute of Household and Consumer Economics ( email )

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Germany
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IZA Institute of Labor Economics

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