Author, as appears in the article.: Diaz-Serrano L; Stoyanova AP
Department: Economia
URV's Author/s: Díaz Serrano, Luis
Keywords: Adolescence Bmi (overweight/obesity) Educational aspirations/expectations Iv models School choices
Abstract: Objectives: This paper examines the selection mechanism underlying the association between overweight/obesity and educational aspirations of adolescents. Study design: This is a cross-sectional study based on a survey conducted in secondary schools in Spain in 2016. Methods: We estimate linear probability models to determine the association between adolescents’ body mass index (BMI) and their expectations to obtain a university degree, as well as their school choices representing the most usual path towards higher studies. To address the potential endogeneity of BMI, we use the instrumental variables (IV) method. Additionally, we account for potential unobserved heterogeneity by including school fixed-effects and a wide set of individual and family characteristics in our analysis. Results: Our results indicate that adolescents with a higher BMI have lower expectations to obtain a university degree and are less likely to enrol in high school with the intention to pursue higher education in the future. The estimated effect is quite sizable and statistically significant only for girls. We estimate that a five-unit increase in BMI (e.g., the change between healthy weight and overweight) reduces girls’ expectations to complete higher education by 19 percentage points and odds of enrolling in high school (vs. vocational training) by 21 percentage points. Conclusions: We provide empirical evidence supporting the selection hypothesis behind the relationship between BMI and adolescents’ educational aspirations. That is, unhealthy weight in adolescence is associated with poorer aspirations for further education. Lower educational aspirations during adolescence can lead to lower academic achievement, which in turn, may result in poorer health, labour market outcomes, and well-being during adulthood.
Thematic Areas: Ciência da computação Ciencias sociales Economia Educação física Enfermagem Engenharias iv General medicine Interdisciplinar Medicina i Medicina ii Medicina veterinaria Medicine (miscellaneous) Nutrição Odontología Psicología Public health, environmental and occupational health Public, environmental & occupational health Saúde coletiva Sociologia i política
licence for use: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0/es/
Author's mail: luis.diaz@urv.cat luis.diaz@urv.cat
Author identifier: 0000-0001-9479-5091 0000-0001-9479-5091
Record's date: 2023-11-18
Papper version: info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersion
Papper original source: Public Health. 225 237-243
APA: Diaz-Serrano L; Stoyanova AP (2023). The relationship between overweight and education revisited: a test of the selection hypothesis based on adolescents’ educational aspirations. Public Health, 225(), 237-243. DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2023.09.013
Licence document URL: http://repositori.urv.cat/ca/proteccio-de-dades/
Article's DOI: 10.1016/j.puhe.2023.09.013
Entity: Universitat Rovira i Virgili
Journal publication year: 2023
Publication Type: Journal Publications
Repositori URV