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Childhood Overweight and School Outcomes

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  • Wendt, Minh
  • Kinsey, Jean D.

Abstract

This paper investigates the association between weight and elementary school students’ academic achievement, as measured by standardized Item Respond Theory scale scores in reading and math. Data for this study come from the 1998 cohort of the Early Childhood Longitudinal Study, Kindergarten-Fifth Grade (ECLS-K), which contains a large national sample of children between the ages of 5 and 12. Estimates of the association between weight and achievement were obtained by utilizing two regression model specifications, a mixed-effects linear model and a student-specific fixed-effects model. A comprehensive set of explanatory variables such as a household’s motivation in helping the student learn (e.g. parents’ expectations for their child’s schooling and levels of parental involvement with school activities), teacher qualification, and school characteristics are controlled for. The results show that malnourished children, both underweight and overweight, especially obese, achieve lower scores on standardized tests, particularly for mathematics, when compared to normal weight children. The outcomes are more pronounced for female students compared to male students. These results emphasize the need to reduce childhood malnutrition, especially childhood obesity.

Suggested Citation

  • Wendt, Minh & Kinsey, Jean D., 2009. "Childhood Overweight and School Outcomes," 2009 Annual Meeting, July 26-28, 2009, Milwaukee, Wisconsin 49347, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aaea09:49347
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.49347
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    Cited by:

    1. Lu, Yu-Lung & Chou, Stephen Jui-Hsien & Lin, Eric S., 2014. "Gender differences in the impact of weight status on academic performance: Evidence from adolescents in Taiwan," Children and Youth Services Review, Elsevier, vol. 46(C), pages 300-314.
    2. Barone, Adriana & O'Higgins, Niall, 2010. "Fat and out in Salerno and its province: Adolescent obesity and early school leaving in Southern Italy," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 8(1), pages 44-57, March.
    3. Adriana Barone & Cristian Barra, 2022. "Gender differences in weight status and early school leaving in Italy," Regional Science Policy & Practice, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 14(3), pages 644-666, June.
    4. Kristen Capogrossi & Wen You, 2013. "Academic Performance and Childhood Misnourishment: A Quantile Approach," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 34(2), pages 141-156, June.
    5. BARONE, Adriana & NESE, Annamaria, 2017. "Investment in Education, Obesity and Health Behaviours," CELPE Discussion Papers 146, CELPE - CEnter for Labor and Political Economics, University of Salerno, Italy.

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    Keywords

    Consumer/Household Economics; Teaching/Communication/Extension/Profession;

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