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Author: Wang, Youfa
Resulting in 3 citations.
1. Powell, Lisa M.
Wada, Roy
Krauss, Ramona C.
Wang, Youfa
Ethnic Disparities in Adolescent Body Mass Index in the United States: The Role of Parental Socioeconomic Status and Economic Contextual Factors
Social Science and Medicine 75,3 (August 2012): 469-476.
Also: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S027795361200278X
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: Elsevier
Keyword(s): Body Mass Index (BMI); Ethnic Differences; Household Income; Neighborhood Effects; Parental Influences; Racial Differences; Socioeconomic Background; Socioeconomic Status (SES); Weight

This paper examined the importance of household and economic contextual factors as determinants of ethnic disparities in adolescent body mass index (BMI). Individual-level data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997 for the years 1997 through 2000 were combined with economic contextual data on food prices, outlet density and median household income. The Oaxaca-Blinder decomposition method was used to examine the factors that could help explain ethnic disparities in BMI. Ethnic differences in household demographic, parental socioeconomic status (SES), and economic contextual factors explained the majority of the male black-white (63%), male Hispanic-white (78%) and female Hispanic-white (62%) BMI gaps but less than one half of the female black-white BMI gap (44%). We found that adding the economic contextual factors increased the explained portion of the ethnic BMI gap for both female and male adolescents: the economic contextual factors explained 28% and 38% of the black-white and Hispanic-white BMI gaps for males and 13% and 8% of the black-white and Hispanic-white BMI gaps for females, respectively. Parental SES was more important in explaining the Hispanic-white BMI gap than the black-white BMI gap for both genders, whereas neighborhood economic contextual factors were more important in explaining the male BMI gap than the female BMI gap for both black-white and Hispanic-white ethnic disparities. A significantly large portion of the ethnic BMI gap, however, remained unexplained between black and white female adolescents.
Bibliography Citation
Powell, Lisa M., Roy Wada, Ramona C. Krauss and Youfa Wang. "Ethnic Disparities in Adolescent Body Mass Index in the United States: The Role of Parental Socioeconomic Status and Economic Contextual Factors." Social Science and Medicine 75,3 (August 2012): 469-476.
2. Powell, Lisa M.
Zhao, Zhenxiang
Wang, Youfa
Food Prices and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Young American Adults
Health and Place 15,4 (December 2009): 1064-1070.
Also: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1353829209000513
Cohort(s): NLSY97
Publisher: Elsevier
Keyword(s): Education; Geocoded Data; Mothers, Education; Nutritional Status/Nutrition/Consumption Behaviors; Socioeconomic Factors

Multivariate negative binomial count models were estimated to examine associations between young adults' fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption and the prices of FV, other food at home grocery items, and fast food and the availability of restaurants and food stores. This study used the 2002 wave of data collected from US young adults aged 18-23 years in the 1997 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth merged by geocode identifiers with food prices and restaurant and food store availability. The results showed that higher levels of FV consumption were associated with lower FV prices (price elasticity of -0.32) and that this own-price effect was robust to the inclusion of other food prices and food outlet availability. Lower income and lower educated young adults and those with lower educated mothers and middle-income parents were found to be most price sensitive. No statistically significant cross-price effects on FV consumption were found with other grocery food (meat, dairy and bread) prices or fast food prices. Fiscal policy instruments such as FV subsidies may help to increase FV intake, particularly among young adults of lower socioeconomic status.
Bibliography Citation
Powell, Lisa M., Zhenxiang Zhao and Youfa Wang. "Food Prices and Fruit and Vegetable Consumption among Young American Adults." Health and Place 15,4 (December 2009): 1064-1070.
3. Zhang, Qi
Chen, Zhuo
Diawara, Norou
Wang, Youfa
Prices of Unhealthy Foods, Food Stamp Program Participation, and Body Weight Status among U.S. Low-Income Women
Journal of Family and Economic Issues 32,2 (June 2011): 245-56.
Also: http://www.springerlink.com/content/9t80867m29252804/
Cohort(s): NLSY79
Publisher: Springer
Keyword(s): Body Mass Index (BMI); Food Stamps (see Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program); Income Level; Nutritional Status/Nutrition/Consumption Behaviors; Obesity; Program Participation/Evaluation; Socioeconomic Status (SES); Weight; Women

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

This paper examines the interactive effect between the price of unhealthy foods and Food Stamp Program participation on body weight status among low-income women in the United States. We merged the panel data of the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1979 cohort in 1985-2002 and the Cost of Living Index data compiled by the American Chamber of Commerce Researchers Association by using geographic identifiers. Using the merged data, we used panel econometric models to examine the impact of unhealthy food prices on the food stamp-eligible U.S. population. Our results indicate that higher prices for unhealthy food can partially offset the positive association between Food Stamp Program participation and bodyweight among low-income women.
Bibliography Citation
Zhang, Qi, Zhuo Chen, Norou Diawara and Youfa Wang. "Prices of Unhealthy Foods, Food Stamp Program Participation, and Body Weight Status among U.S. Low-Income Women." Journal of Family and Economic Issues 32,2 (June 2011): 245-56.