ABSTRACT

Using data from the 1986 to 2010 National Longitudinal Study of Youth (NLSY) and the NLSY Child and Young Adult Supplement, this research explores how changes in parental socioeconomic status relate to child obesity over time. Results from linear mixed-effects models indicate that maternal educational gains and maternal employment transitions significantly increased their child’s body mass index (BMI). This finding suggests that mothers who work may have less time to devote to monitoring their child’s food intake and physical activity, which places their children at higher risks of becoming overweight or obese over time. Conversely, father’s work transitions and educational gains contribute to decreases in child’s BMI. Thus, work instability and increasing educational attainment for the traditional breadwinner of the household corresponds to better child weight outcomes. Results also suggest that there are racial differences in child BMI that remain after adjusting for changes in socioeconomic status, which indicate that the same structural disadvantages that operate to keep minorities in lower social class standings in society also work to hinder minorities from advancing among and out of their social class. Policy implications related to curbing child obesity are discussed.

摘要

利用1986年至2010年的国家青年纵向研究（NLSY）和NLSY儿童和青年成人补充资料，该研究探索了随着时间的推移，父母社会经济地位的变化与儿童肥胖之间的关系。线性混合效应模型的结果表明，母亲的教育程度和母亲的就业转变显着提高了孩子的体重指数（BMI）。这一发现表明，工作的母亲可能没有更多的时间专门用于监视孩子的食物摄入和身体活动，这会使他们的孩子随着时间的流逝变得超重或肥胖的风险更高。相反，父亲的工作转变和教育程度的提高导致孩子的BMI下降。从而，传统家庭家庭的工作不稳定和受教育程度的提高对应于更好的儿童体重结果。结果还表明，在根据社会经济地位的变化进行调整之后，儿童BMI仍存在种族差异，这表明，结构上的不利因素导致少数群体在社会中处于较低的社会地位，这也阻碍了少数群体进进出出。他们的社会阶层。讨论了与控制儿童肥胖有关的政策含义。这表明，使少数群体在社会中处于较低社会阶层地位的结构性劣势，同样也阻碍了少数群体在社会阶层之间进出。讨论了与控制儿童肥胖有关的政策含义。这表明，使少数群体在社会中处于较低社会阶层地位的结构性劣势，同样也阻碍了少数群体在社会阶层之间进出。讨论了与控制儿童肥胖有关的政策含义。