# name
The relationship between overweight and education revisited: a test of the selection hypothesis based on adolescents’ educational aspirations

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Objectives: This paper examines the selection mechanism underlying the association between overweight/obesity and educational aspirations of adolescents.  Study design: This is a cross-sectional study based on a survey conducted in secondary schools in Spain in  2016.  Methods: We estimate linear probability models to determine the association between adolescents’ body  mass index (BMI) and their expectations to obtain a university degree, as well as their school choices  representing the most usual path towards higher studies. To address the potential endogeneity of BMI,  we use the instrumental variables (IV) method. Additionally, we account for potential unobserved heterogeneity by including school fixed-effects and a wide set of individual and family characteristics in our  analysis.  Results: Our results indicate that adolescents with a higher BMI have lower expectations to obtain a  university degree and are less likely to enrol in high school with the intention to pursue higher education  in the future. The estimated effect is quite sizable and statistically significant only for girls. We estimate  that a five-unit increase in BMI (e.g., the change between healthy weight and overweight) reduces girls’  expectations to complete higher education by 19 percentage points and odds of enrolling in high school  (vs. vocational training) by 21 percentage points.  Conclusions: We provide empirical evidence supporting the selection hypothesis behind the relationship  between BMI and adolescents’ educational aspirations. That is, unhealthy weight in adolescence is  associated with poorer aspirations for further education. Lower educational aspirations during adolescence can lead to lower academic achievement, which in turn, may result in poorer health, labour market  outcomes, and well-being during adulthood.

# metadata.dc.rights[].value
cc-by-nc-nd (c) Díaz Serrano et al., 2023

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Articles publicats en revistes (Economia)

# metadata.dc.title[].value
The relationship between overweight and education revisited: a test of the selection hypothesis based on adolescents’ educational aspirations