The Influence of Body Weight on Social Network Ties Among Adolescents

37 Pages Posted: 7 Oct 2011

See all articles by Mir M. Ali

Mir M. Ali

Government of the United States of America - Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning & Evaluation

Aliaksandr Amialchuk

University of Toledo - Department of Economics

John A. Rizzo

Stony Brook University - Department of Economics and Department of Preventative Medicine

Date Written: October 7, 2011

Abstract

Evidence of negative stereotypes, prejudice and discrimination towards obese individuals has been widely documented. However, the effect of a larger body size on social network ties or friendship formations is less well understood. In this paper, we explore the extent to which higher body weight results in social marginalization of adolescents. Using data from a nationally-representative sample of adolescents, we estimate endogeneity-corrected models including school-level fixed effects that account for bi-directionality and unobserved confounders to ascertain the effect of body weight on social network ties. We find that obese adolescents have fewer friends and are less socially integrated than their non-obese counterparts. We also find that such penalties in friendship networks are present among whites but not African-Americans or Hispanics, with the largest effect among white females. These results are robust to common environmental influences at the school-level and to controls for preferences, risk attitudes, low self-esteem and objective measures of physical attractiveness.

Keywords: Social Networks, Adolescents, Body Weight

JEL Classification: I12, J10, Z13

Suggested Citation

Ali, Mir M. and Amialchuk, Aliaksandr and Rizzo, John A., The Influence of Body Weight on Social Network Ties Among Adolescents (October 7, 2011). Economics & Human Biology, Forthcoming, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=1940498

Mir M. Ali (Contact Author)

Government of the United States of America - Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning & Evaluation ( email )

200 Independence Avenue SW
Washington, DC 20201
United States

Aliaksandr Amialchuk

University of Toledo - Department of Economics ( email )

Toledo, OH 43606
United States
(419) 530-5147 (Phone)
(419) 530-7844 (Fax)

John A. Rizzo

Stony Brook University - Department of Economics and Department of Preventative Medicine ( email )

N-637 Social and Behavioral Sciences Building
Stony Brook, NY 11794
United States

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