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Vertical transmission of overweight: evidence from a sample of English adoptees

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  • Costa-Font, Joan
  • Jofre-Bonet, Mireia
  • Le Grand, Julian

Abstract

Vertical influences can significantly shape children overweight by affecting both genetics and the environment children are exposed to. This paper examines the vertical (parental) transmission of child overweight drawing upon a fifteen year sample of English adults and their children, both adopted and biological, for which we can retrieve clinical measures height and weight. We find that, when both parents are overweight, children exhibit an increased likelihood of overweight, irrespective of whether they are adopted or biological children. When both parents are obese as opposed to overweight the picture is different. We find that the likelihood of child overweight increases by 16.7 percentage points among natural (non-adopted) children but only by 4.5 percentage points among adopted children. This suggests that the transmission of overweight when both parents are obese is not merely genetic, and what has been called vertical or parental transmission plays a non-negligible role. Our findings are validated by are a battery of robustness checks.

Suggested Citation

  • Costa-Font, Joan & Jofre-Bonet, Mireia & Le Grand, Julian, 2020. "Vertical transmission of overweight: evidence from a sample of English adoptees," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 106288, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    • Handle: RePEc:ehl:lserod:106288
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Costa-Font, Joan & Gil, Joan, 2005. "Obesity and the incidence of chronic diseases in Spain: A seemingly unrelated probit approach," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 3(2), pages 188-214, July.
    2. Alberto Bisin & Thierry Verdier, 2000. ""Beyond the Melting Pot": Cultural Transmission, Marriage, and the Evolution of Ethnic and Religious Traits," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 115(3), pages 955-988.
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    4. Costa-Font, Joan & Jofre-Bonet, Mireia, 2020. "Is the intergenerational transmission of overweight ‘gender assortative’?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 39(C).
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    8. Costa-Font, Joan & Gil, Joan, 2013. "Intergenerational and socioeconomic gradients of child obesity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 29-37.
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    13. Wilcox-Gok, Virginia L, 1983. "The Determination of Child Health: An Application of Sibling and Adoption Data," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 65(2), pages 266-273, May.
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    vertical transmission; cultural transmission; overweight; children; adopted children; biological children; biological paretns; Body Mass Index; sample selection;
    All these keywords.

    JEL classification:

    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • D13 - Microeconomics - - Household Behavior - - - Household Production and Intrahouse Allocation

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