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Maternal Work Hours and Childhood Obesity: Evidence Using Instrumental Variables Related to Sibling School Eligibility

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  • Charles Courtemanche
  • Rusty Tchernis
  • Xilin Zhou

Abstract

This study exploits plausibly exogenous variation derived from the youngest sibling’s school eligibility to estimate the effects of maternal work on the weight outcomes of older children. We first show that mothers’ work hours increase gradually along both the extensive and intensive margins as the age of the youngest child rises, whereas mothers’ spouses’ work hours do not appear to be responsive. We develop an instrumental-variables model that shows that mothers’ work hours lead to larger increases in children’s body mass index z-scores and probabilities of being overweight/obese than those identified in previous studies. Subsample analyses find that the effects are concentrated among advantaged households.

Suggested Citation

  • Charles Courtemanche & Rusty Tchernis & Xilin Zhou, 2019. "Maternal Work Hours and Childhood Obesity: Evidence Using Instrumental Variables Related to Sibling School Eligibility," Journal of Human Capital, University of Chicago Press, vol. 13(4), pages 553-584.
    • Handle: RePEc:ucp:jhucap:doi:10.1086/705609
    DOI: 10.1086/705609
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    Cited by:

    1. Courtemanche, Charles & Pinkston, Joshua C. & Stewart, Jay, 2021. "Time spent exercising and obesity: An application of Lewbel’s instrumental variables method," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    2. Kajal Lahiri & Liu Yang, 2021. "Estimating Endogenous Ordered Response Panel Data Models with an Application to Income Gradient in Child Health," Sankhya B: The Indian Journal of Statistics, Springer;Indian Statistical Institute, vol. 83(2), pages 207-243, November.
    3. Patricia I. Ritter, 2024. "The unintended effect of piped water at home on childhood overweight rate: experimental evidence from urban Morocco," Review of Economics of the Household, Springer, vol. 22(3), pages 1089-1126, September.

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