The Effect of Neighborhood Fast Food on Children's BMI: Evidence from a Sample of Movers

Yiwei Qian; Michael R. Thomsen; Rodolfo M. Nayga; Heather L. Rouse

doi:10.1515/bejeap-2016-0251

The Effect of Neighborhood Fast Food on Children's BMI: Evidence from a Sample of Movers

Yiwei Qian, Michael R. Thomsen, Rodolfo M. Nayga, Heather L. Rouse

Department of Food and Resource Economics

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

11 Citations (Scopus)

Abstract

We use a statewide panel dataset and an instrumental variable strategy to identify the effect of neighborhood fast food on the BMI z-scores of Arkansas public schoolchildren. As in earlier studies, we use distance from the child's residence to the nearest major highway as an instrument for the density of fast-food restaurants. The sample is limited to children who moved at least once during the study period to ensure temporal variation in our instrument. Neighborhood fast food does have significant and positive effects on their BMI z-scores. The effect is disproportionately large for children who are rural, non-minority and female.

Original language	English
Article number	20160251
Journal	B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy
Volume	17
Issue number	4
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1515/bejeap-2016-0251
Publication status	Published - 2017

Keywords

BMI z-score
childhood obesity
fast food
instrumental variables

ASJC Scopus subject areas

Economics and Econometrics
Economics, Econometrics and Finance (miscellaneous)

UN SDGs

This output contributes to the following UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)

Access to Document

10.1515/bejeap-2016-0251

Cite this

@article{0ee55c796b6941ea9590946a4820bb42,

title = "The Effect of Neighborhood Fast Food on Children's BMI: Evidence from a Sample of Movers",

abstract = "We use a statewide panel dataset and an instrumental variable strategy to identify the effect of neighborhood fast food on the BMI z-scores of Arkansas public schoolchildren. As in earlier studies, we use distance from the child's residence to the nearest major highway as an instrument for the density of fast-food restaurants. The sample is limited to children who moved at least once during the study period to ensure temporal variation in our instrument. Neighborhood fast food does have significant and positive effects on their BMI z-scores. The effect is disproportionately large for children who are rural, non-minority and female.",

keywords = "BMI z-score, childhood obesity, fast food, instrumental variables",

author = "Yiwei Qian and Thomsen, {Michael R.} and Nayga, {Rodolfo M.} and Rouse, {Heather L.}",

note = "Funding Information: Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P20GM109096. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. This work as also supported by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant No. 2011-68001-30014 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston 2017.",

year = "2017",

doi = "10.1515/bejeap-2016-0251",

language = "English",

volume = "17",

journal = "B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy",

issn = "1935-1682",

publisher = "Berkeley Electronic Press",

number = "4",

}

TY - JOUR

T1 - The Effect of Neighborhood Fast Food on Children's BMI

T2 - Evidence from a Sample of Movers

AU - Qian, Yiwei

AU - Thomsen, Michael R.

AU - Nayga, Rodolfo M.

AU - Rouse, Heather L.

N1 - Funding Information: Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P20GM109096. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. This work as also supported by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative Competitive Grant No. 2011-68001-30014 from the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture. Publisher Copyright: © 2017 Walter de Gruyter GmbH, Berlin/Boston 2017.

PY - 2017

Y1 - 2017

N2 - We use a statewide panel dataset and an instrumental variable strategy to identify the effect of neighborhood fast food on the BMI z-scores of Arkansas public schoolchildren. As in earlier studies, we use distance from the child's residence to the nearest major highway as an instrument for the density of fast-food restaurants. The sample is limited to children who moved at least once during the study period to ensure temporal variation in our instrument. Neighborhood fast food does have significant and positive effects on their BMI z-scores. The effect is disproportionately large for children who are rural, non-minority and female.

AB - We use a statewide panel dataset and an instrumental variable strategy to identify the effect of neighborhood fast food on the BMI z-scores of Arkansas public schoolchildren. As in earlier studies, we use distance from the child's residence to the nearest major highway as an instrument for the density of fast-food restaurants. The sample is limited to children who moved at least once during the study period to ensure temporal variation in our instrument. Neighborhood fast food does have significant and positive effects on their BMI z-scores. The effect is disproportionately large for children who are rural, non-minority and female.

KW - BMI z-score

KW - childhood obesity

KW - fast food

KW - instrumental variables

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85034976290&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1515/bejeap-2016-0251

DO - 10.1515/bejeap-2016-0251

M3 - Article

AN - SCOPUS:85034976290

SN - 1935-1682

VL - 17

JO - B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy

JF - B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis and Policy

IS - 4

M1 - 20160251

ER -

The Effect of Neighborhood Fast Food on Children's BMI: Evidence from a Sample of Movers

Abstract

Keywords

ASJC Scopus subject areas

UN SDGs

Access to Document

Other files and links

Fingerprint

Cite this