Obesity, Self-esteem and Wages / Naci H. Mocan, Erdal Tekin.

Format:

Book

Author/Creator:

Mocan, Naci H.

Contributor:

National Bureau of Economic Research.

Tekin, Erdal.

Series:

Working Paper Series (National Bureau of Economic Research) no. w15101.

NBER working paper series no. w15101

Language:

English

Physical Description:

1 online resource: illustrations (black and white);

Place of Publication:

Cambridge, Mass. National Bureau of Economic Research 2009.

Summary:

Obesity is associated with serious health problems, and it can generate adverse economic outcomes. We analyze a nationally-representative sample of young American adults to investigate the interplay between obesity, wages and self-esteem. Wages can be impacted directly by obesity, and they can be influenced by obesity indirectly through the channel of obesity to self-esteem to wages. We find that female wages are directly influenced by body weight, and self-esteem has an impact on wages in case of whites. Being overweight or obese has a negative impact on the self-esteem of females and of black males. The results suggest that obesity has the most significant impact on white women's wages.

Notes:

Print version record

June 2009.