Targeting childhood obesity policy: an ecological and human capital framework
File(s)
Author(s)
Segal, Alexa
Type
Thesis
Abstract
Identified by the World Health Organisation as one of the most serious public health challenges of the 21st century, childhood overweight and obesity threaten both population health and economic growth. Left untreated, childhood overweight and obesity will continue to deleteriously affect future generations. Therefore, in this thesis, I add to the evidence needed for governments to justify action. First, I systematically review literature on the impact of childhood overweight and obesity on outcomes typically linked to human capital development in economics, specifically educational and labour market outcomes (Chapter 2). I conclude that childhood overweight and obesity hinder educational outcomes, with effects mostly observed at older ages of exposure measurement and with worse effects for girls. I further investigate the findings of this review by evaluating the effect of childhood obesity on educational outcomes using three UK cohorts to assess generational differences, finding that weight status in adolescence and early adulthood is associated with educational attainment, with heterogeneous effects by social class and across generations (Chapter 3). Then, I quantitively investigate parenting style as a determinant of childhood obesity in England, to help to inform childhood obesity policy and contribute to the development of more effective health and nutrition programmes (Chapter 4). I demonstrate the potential protective and antagonistic effects of specific parenting styles on children's body mass index, again, with pronounced differential effects by social class and family structure. In the last chapter, I evaluate the first Discretionary Foods Tax, an import tariff, to combat the rising childhood obesity rates in Bermuda (Chapter 5). I find evidence that several factors mitigated the impact of the tariff on the prices paid for sugar-sweetened beverages by consumers, including the design of the tariff and price promotions. In the final chapter, I discuss the findings of this thesis and consider the relevant policy implications of the chapters.
Version
Open Access
Date Issued
2023-01-13
Date Awarded
01/06/2023
License URL
Advisor
Sassi, Franco
Miraldo, Marisa
Publisher Department
Department of Economics & Public Policy
Publisher Institution
Imperial College London
Qualification Level
Doctoral
Qualification Name
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)