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Author: Ford, William F.
Resulting in 2 citations.
1. Baum, Charles L., II
Ford, William F.
The Wage Effects of Obesity: A Longitudinal Study
Health Economics 13,9 (September 2004): 885-899.
Also: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hec.881/pdf
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Wiley Online
Keyword(s): Behavioral Differences; Discrimination, Job; Gender; Health Factors; Obesity; Variables, Independent - Covariate; Wage Effects; Wages, Men; Wages, Women

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

We use National Longitudinal Survey of Youth (NLSY) data to examine the effects of obesity on wages by gender. Sample means indicate that both men and women experience a persistent obesity wage penalty over the first two decades of their careers. We then control for a standard set of socioeconomic and familial variables but find that standard covariates do not explain why obese workers experience persistent wage penalties. This suggests that other variables -- including job discrimination, health-related factors and/or obese workers' behavior patterns -- may be the channels through which obesity adversely affects wages. The study closes with a discussion of the public policy implications suggested by these findings.
Bibliography Citation
Baum, Charles L., II and William F. Ford. "The Wage Effects of Obesity: A Longitudinal Study." Health Economics 13,9 (September 2004): 885-899.
2. Baum, Charles L., II
Ford, William F.
Hopper, Jeffrey D.
The Obese Smoker's Wage Penalty
Social Science Quarterly 87,4 (December 2006): 863-881.
Also: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1540-6237.2006.00440.x/abstract
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing, Inc. => Wiley Online
Keyword(s): Cigarette Use (see Smoking); Discrimination; Discrimination, Employer; Gender Differences; Obesity; Wage Effects; Wage Penalty/Career Penalty

Smoking and obesity are associated with significant wage penalties when considered separately. We assess the combined effects of those behaviors. Methods. We estimate the effects of smoking and obesity on wages using multivariate regression analysis with 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth data. Results. The raw data indicate that obese smokers experience large earnings penalties. However, these penalties are not found to be interactive or directly causal for most of the demographic subgroups we examine. One exception is the wage penalty associated with obesity for females, which remains significant throughout the analysis. Conclusions. In the absence of a demonstrable direct causal effect of those behaviors on wages, associated individual-specific socioeconomic factors appear to be the driving forces behind the obese smoker wage penalty. Not included, but potentially significant, are the effects of employer and customer discrimination against obese smokers and the possible labor policy implications of such discrimination.

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Bibliography Citation
Baum, Charles L., II, William F. Ford and Jeffrey D. Hopper. "The Obese Smoker's Wage Penalty ." Social Science Quarterly 87,4 (December 2006): 863-881.