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Author: Desalva, Christina J.
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Desalva, Christina J.
An Analysis of the Effects of Early Childhood Household Income on Obesity During Young Adulthood
Presented: Ithaca, NY, National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Ithaca College, March 31-April 2, 2011
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79 Young Adult
Publisher: National Conferences on Undergraduate Research (NCUR)
Keyword(s): Body Mass Index (BMI); Child Health; Food Stamps (see Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program); Geocoded Data; Household Income; Nutritional Status/Nutrition/Consumption Behaviors; Obesity; Undergraduate Research

Permission to reprint the abstract has not been received from the publisher.

Between the years 1988 and 2006, obesity rates in the United States increased by eleven percent. This increase is both a health and fiscal concern for Americans; nine percent of annual U.S. healthcare expenditures are attributed to obesity. Policy makers cannot reduce the costs associated with obesity unless they comprehend its underlying causes. Some experts cite increased consumption of fast food as the explanation. However, healthier alternatives are frequently too expensive for low-income families who often rely on food stamps. Studies suggest consumption habits acquired in early childhood are difficult to reverse. Therefore, even when household income as a young adult is higher, an increased risk for obesity may persist due to poor dietary habits acquired as a low-income child. This study uses regression analysis to investigate the correlation between household income during early childhood years and the prevalence of overweight and obesity as a young adult. The data are from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 Child and Young Adults (NLSY79 Child and Young Adults), with a sample size of n=7,816. The main explanatory variables are household income at ages two through six. Information regarding specific foods consumed is provided through geo-code data used to control for the density of fast food restaurants located near observations' place of residence. The response variable is the Body Mass Index (BMI) of individuals from the ages of thirteen through eighteen. Previous studies evaluate the effect of current income on BMI; few examine the effect of early childhood household income on BMI. I hypothesize that there will be a negative correlation between early childhood household income and young adult BMI.
Bibliography Citation
Desalva, Christina J. "An Analysis of the Effects of Early Childhood Household Income on Obesity During Young Adulthood." Presented: Ithaca, NY, National Conference on Undergraduate Research, Ithaca College, March 31-April 2, 2011.