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The impact of childhood overweight and obesity on healthcare utilisation

Author

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  • Doherty, Edel
  • Queally, Michelle
  • Cullinan, John
  • Gillespie, Paddy

Abstract

Rising levels of childhood overweight and obesity represent a major global public health challenge. A number of studies have explored the association between childhood overweight and obesity and healthcare utilisation and costs. This paper adds to the literature by estimating the causal effect of child overweight and obesity status on use of general practitioner (GP) and hospital inpatient stays at two time points using instrumental variable (IV) methods The paper uses data from two waves of the Growing Up in Ireland survey of children when they are 9 and 13 years respectively and uses the biological mother’s body mass index (BMI) as an instrument for the child’s BMI. Our results demonstrate that child overweight and obesity status do not have a significant effect on healthcare utilisation for children when they are 9 years, but do have a large and significant effect at 13 years. Across all our models, the effects on both GP and hospital inpatient stays are found to be larger when endogeneity in childhood BMI status is addressed. Previous studies that did not address endogeneity concerns are likely to have significantly underestimated the impact of child overweight and obesity status on healthcare utilisation.

Suggested Citation

  • Doherty, Edel & Queally, Michelle & Cullinan, John & Gillespie, Paddy, 2017. "The impact of childhood overweight and obesity on healthcare utilisation," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 27(PA), pages 84-92.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:ehbiol:v:27:y:2017:i:pa:p:84-92
    DOI: 10.1016/j.ehb.2017.05.002
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    Cited by:

    1. José Manuel Segura-Díaz & Álvaro Rojas-Jiménez & Yaira Barranco-Ruiz & Berta Murillo-Pardo & Romina Gisele Saucedo-Araujo & María Jesús Aranda-Balboa & Manuel Herrador-Colmenero & Emilio Villa-Gonzále, 2020. "Feasibility and Reliability of a Questionnaire to Assess the Mode, Frequency, Distance and Time of Commuting to and from School: The PACO Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(14), pages 1-15, July.
    2. Abayomi Samuel Oyekale, 2019. "Effect of Obesity and Other Risk Factors on Hypertension among Women of Reproductive Age in Ghana: An Instrumental Variable Probit Model," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(23), pages 1-17, November.
    3. Dixon, Padraig & Hollingworth, William & Harrison, Sean & Davies, Neil M. & Davey Smith, George, 2020. "Mendelian Randomization analysis of the causal effect of adiposity on hospital costs," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    4. Si Wang & Qingqing Yang, 2022. "Does weight impact adolescent mental health? Evidence from China," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 31(10), pages 2269-2286, October.
    5. Black, Nicole & Hughes, Robert & Jones, Andrew M., 2018. "The health care costs of childhood obesity in Australia: An instrumental variables approach," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 31(C), pages 1-13.
    6. Dang, Thang, 2017. "Body Weight and Hypertension Risk in a Developing Country," MPRA Paper 83182, University Library of Munich, Germany.

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