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Author: Mellor, Jennifer M.
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Mellor, Jennifer M.
Do Cigarette Taxes Affect Children's Body Mass Index? The Effect of Household Environment on Health
Health Economics 20,4 (April 2010): 417-431.
Also: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/hec.1598/abstract
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79
Publisher: Wiley Online
Keyword(s): Body Mass Index (BMI); Child Health; Childhood Residence; Children, Home Environment; Cigarette Use (see Smoking); Family Environment; Geocoded Data; Household Income; Modeling, Fixed Effects; Mothers, Behavior; Mothers, Health; Obesity; Smoking (see Cigarette Use); State-Level Data/Policy; Taxes; Weight

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

Several recent studies demonstrate a positive effect of cigarette prices and taxes on obesity among adults, especially those who smoke. If higher cigarette costs affect smokers' weights by increasing calories consumed or increasing food expenditures, then cigarette taxes and prices may also affect obesity in children of smokers. This study examines the link between child body mass index (BMI) and obesity status and cigarette costs using data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth-79 (NLSY79). Controlling for various child, mother, and household characteristics as well as child-fixed effects, I find that cigarette taxes and prices increase BMI in the children of smoking mothers. Interestingly, and unlike previous research findings for adults, higher cigarette taxes do not increase the likelihood of obesity in children. These findings are consistent with a causal mechanism in which higher cigarette costs reduce smoking and increase food expenditures and consumption in the household.
Bibliography Citation
Mellor, Jennifer M. "Do Cigarette Taxes Affect Children's Body Mass Index? The Effect of Household Environment on Health." Health Economics 20,4 (April 2010): 417-431.