ADDRESSING THE OBESITY PROBLEM: THE EFFECT OF CHILD SUPPORT PAYMENTS ON CHILDHOOD OBESITY IN FRAGILE FAMILIES

Abstract

Using the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study data for the child’s birth through his fifth birthday, this thesis investigates the relationship between child support and childhood obesity. Initial results suggest that child support has mixed effects on childhood obesity. Indeed, linear regressions indicated that current child support has a significant positive effect on current childhood obesity, and although a lagged effects model estimated consistent results with those of the linear regression in terms of the current effects, the model also suggested that child support in previous waves had a significant negative effect on childhood obesity in the current wave. Although these results are not necessarily conflicting, further research needs to be done in order to understand the exact effects of child support on childhood obesity.