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Title: Projecting the Impact of Obesity on a Cohort of School-Aged Hispanic Children
Resulting in 1 citation.
1. Jackson, Heide
Palloni, Alberto
Projecting the Impact of Obesity on a Cohort of School-Aged Hispanic Children
Presented: New Orleans LA, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, April 2013
Cohort(s): Children of the NLSY79, NLSY79, NLSY79 Young Adult, NLSY97
Publisher: Population Association of America
Keyword(s): Behavior Problems Index (BPI); Child Health; Cognitive Ability; College Enrollment; Early Childhood Longitudinal Study (ECLS-B, ECLS-K); Educational Attainment; Ethnic Groups; High School Completion/Graduates; Hispanic Youth; Obesity; Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Math); Peabody Individual Achievement Test (PIAT- Reading); Weight

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

Over the past 30 years, the prevalence of childhood obesity has tripled in the United States. Hispanics face a significantly greater risk of becoming obese; 24% of Hispanic children aged 6-11 are obese compared to 17% of the general population. Excess obesity among Hispanics could lead to two significant changes. First, given that obesity is associated with a number of chronic conditions and an increased risk of premature death, the higher prevalence of obesity among Hispanic youth may serve to undo the historic US Hispanic health and mortality advantage. Second, a disproportionate increase in obesity prevalence among Hispanics could compromise their ability to accumulate human capital. Using a number of rich, nationally representative data sources, this paper seeks to: measure trends in Hispanic obesity, ascertain the effects of obesity on human capital development, and determine how changing the projected obesity prevalence will affect human capital.
Bibliography Citation
Jackson, Heide and Alberto Palloni. "Projecting the Impact of Obesity on a Cohort of School-Aged Hispanic Children." Presented: New Orleans LA, Population Association of America Annual Meeting, April 2013.