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Body Size, Skills, and Income: Evidence From 150,000 Teenage Siblings

Lundborg, Petter LU ; Nystedt, Paul LU and Rooth, Dan-Olof LU (2014) In Demography 51(5). p.1573-1596
Abstract
We provide new evidence on the long-run labor market penalty of teenage overweight and obesity using unique and large-scale data on 150,000 male siblings from the Swedish military enlistment. Our empirical analysis provides four important results. First, we provide the first evidence of a large adult male labor market penalty for being overweight or obese as a teenager. Second, we replicate this result using data from the United States and the United Kingdom. Third, we note a strikingly strong within-family relationship between body size and cognitive skills/noncognitive skills. Fourth, a large part of the estimated body-size penalty reflects lower skill acquisition among overweight and obese teenagers. Taken together, these results... (More)
We provide new evidence on the long-run labor market penalty of teenage overweight and obesity using unique and large-scale data on 150,000 male siblings from the Swedish military enlistment. Our empirical analysis provides four important results. First, we provide the first evidence of a large adult male labor market penalty for being overweight or obese as a teenager. Second, we replicate this result using data from the United States and the United Kingdom. Third, we note a strikingly strong within-family relationship between body size and cognitive skills/noncognitive skills. Fourth, a large part of the estimated body-size penalty reflects lower skill acquisition among overweight and obese teenagers. Taken together, these results reinforce the importance of policy combating early-life obesity in order to reduce healthcare expenditures as well as poverty and inequalities later in life. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; and
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Obesity, Overweight, Discrimination, Earnings, Skills
in
Demography
volume
51
issue
5
pages
1573 - 1596
publisher
Population Assn Amer
external identifiers
  • pmid:25199549
  • wos:000344321900001
  • scopus:84909992900
  • pmid:25199549
ISSN
1533-7790
DOI
10.1007/s13524-014-0325-6
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
d7225db6-c32f-4d4c-b656-094019077ada (old id 4692072)
alternative location
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25199549?dopt=Abstract
date added to LUP
2016-04-01 09:53:55
date last changed
2023-05-05 14:09:02
@article{d7225db6-c32f-4d4c-b656-094019077ada,
  abstract     = {{We provide new evidence on the long-run labor market penalty of teenage overweight and obesity using unique and large-scale data on 150,000 male siblings from the Swedish military enlistment. Our empirical analysis provides four important results. First, we provide the first evidence of a large adult male labor market penalty for being overweight or obese as a teenager. Second, we replicate this result using data from the United States and the United Kingdom. Third, we note a strikingly strong within-family relationship between body size and cognitive skills/noncognitive skills. Fourth, a large part of the estimated body-size penalty reflects lower skill acquisition among overweight and obese teenagers. Taken together, these results reinforce the importance of policy combating early-life obesity in order to reduce healthcare expenditures as well as poverty and inequalities later in life.}},
  author       = {{Lundborg, Petter and Nystedt, Paul and Rooth, Dan-Olof}},
  issn         = {{1533-7790}},
  keywords     = {{Obesity; Overweight; Discrimination; Earnings; Skills}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{5}},
  pages        = {{1573--1596}},
  publisher    = {{Population Assn Amer}},
  series       = {{Demography}},
  title        = {{Body Size, Skills, and Income: Evidence From 150,000 Teenage Siblings}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1007/s13524-014-0325-6}},
  doi          = {{10.1007/s13524-014-0325-6}},
  volume       = {{51}},
  year         = {{2014}},
}