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The importance of parental knowledge: Evidence from weight report cards in Mexico

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  • Prina, Silvia
  • Royer, Heather

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.

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  • Prina, Silvia & Royer, Heather, 2014. "The importance of parental knowledge: Evidence from weight report cards in Mexico," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 37(C), pages 232-247.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:jhecon:v:37:y:2014:i:c:p:232-247
    DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2014.07.001
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    1. Samuel Berlinski & Norbert Schady, 2015. "Daycare Services: It’s All about Quality," Palgrave Macmillan Books, in: Samuel Berlinski & Norbert Schady (ed.), The Early Years, chapter 4, pages 91-119, Palgrave Macmillan.
    2. Biroli, Pietro & Boneva, Teodora & Raja, Akash & Rauh, Christopher, 2022. "Parental beliefs about returns to child health investments," Journal of Econometrics, Elsevier, vol. 231(1), pages 33-57.
    3. Mark Patterson & Saurabh Bhargava & George Loewenstein, 2017. "An unhealthy attitude? New insight into the modest effects of the NLEA," Journal of Behavioral Economics for Policy, Society for the Advancement of Behavioral Economics (SABE), vol. 1(1), pages 15-26, February.
    4. Christian Dustmann & Malte Sandner & Uta Schönberg, 2024. "The Effects of Sun Intensity during Pregnancy and in the First 12 Months of Life on Childhood Obesity," Journal of Human Resources, University of Wisconsin Press, vol. 59(6), pages 1683-1713.
    5. Jan Marcus & Thomas Siedler & Nicolas R. Ziebarth, 2022. "The Long-Run Effects of Sports Club Vouchers for Primary School Children," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 14(3), pages 128-165, August.
    6. M. Caridad Araujo & Yyannu Cruz-Aguayo & Analia Jaimovich & Sharon Lynn Kagan, 2015. "Drawing Up an Institutional Architecture," IDB Publications (Book Chapters), in: Samuel Berlinski & Norbert Schady (ed.), The Early Years: Child Well-Being and the Role of Public Policy, edition 1, chapter 7, pages 179-202, Inter-American Development Bank.
    7. Brandyn F. Churchill, 2024. "State‐mandated school‐based BMI assessments and self‐reported adolescent health behaviors," Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 43(1), pages 63-86, January.
    8. Kämpfen, F.; & Gómez-Olivé, X.; & O’Donnell, O.; & Riumallo Herl, C.;, 2023. "Effectiveness of Population-Based Hypertension Screening: A Multidimensional Regression Discontinuity Design," Health, Econometrics and Data Group (HEDG) Working Papers 23/15, HEDG, c/o Department of Economics, University of York.
    9. Wang, Lanjie & Zhang, Xuan & Kim, Seonghoon & Koh, Kanghyock, 2024. "Weight perception and weight management via information nudges," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 222(C), pages 332-353.
    10. ZHAO Meng & YIN Ting & SEKIZAWA Yoichi, 2023. "Make Behavioral Changes for a Healthier Liver? Evidence from a liver function test in Japan," Discussion papers 23010, Research Institute of Economy, Trade and Industry (RIETI).
    11. Hou, Minghui & Min, Shi & Qing, Ping & Tian, Xu, 2024. "Can a knowledge calendar improve dietary knowledge? Evidence from a field experiment in rural China," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    12. Cygan-Rehm, Kamila & Karbownik, Krzysztof, 2022. "The effects of incentivizing early prenatal care on infant health," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 83(C).
    13. Kim, Hyuncheol Bryant & Lee, Suejin & Lim, Wilfredo, 2017. "Knowing Is Not Half the Battle: Impacts of the National Health Screening Program in Korea," IZA Discussion Papers 10650, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    14. Avitabile, Ciro, 2021. "Spillovers and Social Interaction Effects in the Demand for Preventive Healthcare: Evidence from the PROGRESA program," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 79(C).
    15. Will Cook, 2019. "The effect of personalised weight feedback on weight loss and health behaviours: Evidence from a regression discontinuity design," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 28(1), pages 161-172, January.
    16. Suzani Mohamad Samuri & Bahbibi Rahmatullah & Norazilawati Abdullah & Aslina Ahmad & Zainiah Mohamed Isa & Hamsa Hammed, 2018. "Early Childhood Research Landscape on Children’s Profile: Coherent Taxonomy, Motivation, Open Challenges, Recommendations and, Pathways for Future Research," Child Indicators Research, Springer;The International Society of Child Indicators (ISCI), vol. 11(5), pages 1603-1630, October.
    17. Cawley, John, 2015. "An economy of scales: A selective review of obesity's economic causes, consequences, and solutions," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 43(C), pages 244-268.
    18. Cullinan, John & Cawley, John, 2017. "Parental misclassification of child overweight/obese status: The role of parental education and parental weight status," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 92-103.
    19. Kaixing Huang & Qianqian Hong, 2024. "The impact of global warming on obesity," Journal of Population Economics, Springer;European Society for Population Economics, vol. 37(3), pages 1-32, September.
    20. Carrera, Mariana & Hasan, Syeda A. & Prina, Silvia, 2020. "Do health risk assessments change eating habits at the workplace?," Journal of Economic Behavior & Organization, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 236-246.
    21. Pascaline Dupas & Edward Miguel, 2016. "Impacts and Determinants of Health Levels in Low-Income Countries," NBER Working Papers 22235, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    22. Hartung, Corinna & Veramendi, Gregory F. & Winter, Joachim, 2022. "The Dynamics of Behavioral Responses During a Crisis," Rationality and Competition Discussion Paper Series 333, CRC TRR 190 Rationality and Competition.

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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Obesity; Health; Information; Mexico; Field experiment;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • O54 - Economic Development, Innovation, Technological Change, and Growth - - Economywide Country Studies - - - Latin America; Caribbean

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