The Impact of Childhood Obesity on Health and Health Service Use.

ABSTRACT:

Objective

To test the impact of obesity on health and health care use in children, by the use of various methods to account for reverse causality and omitted variables.

Data sources/study setting

Fifteen rounds of the Health Survey for England (1998-2013), which is representative of children and adolescents in England.

Study design

We use three methods to account for reverse causality and omitted variables in the relationship between BMI and health/health service use: regression with individual, parent, and household control variables; sibling fixed effects; and instrumental variables based on genetic variation in weight.

Data collection/extraction methods

We include all children and adolescents aged 4-18 years old.

Principal findings

We find that obesit

SUBMITTER: Kinge JM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5980327 | biostudies-literature | 2018 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature