The effect of body weight on adolescent sexual activity Articles uri icon

publication date

  • January 2011

start page

  • 1330

end page

  • 1348

issue

  • 11

volume

  • 20

International Standard Serial Number (ISSN)

  • 10579230 (ISSN)

abstract

  • Recent research suggests that overweight females suffer penalties in the labor and marriage markets, while overweight males do not. This study explores whether similar gender differences in the effect of body weight exist in what Cawley et al. (2006) labeled 'the adolescent sex market'. Drawing on data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health, we use fixed effects and instrumental variables identification strategies to estimate the relationship between body weight and sexual activity. We find evidence that increased body weight lowers the probability that female adolescents become sexually active. In contrast, there is little evidence of a causal relationship between body weight and sexual activity for male adolescents. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

keywords

  • body weight obesity sex sexual activity adolescent adolescent health age distribution article birth weight body height body mass body weight controlled study depression female health behavior health status human major clinical study male obesity parental behavior priority journal self esteem sex difference sexual behavior sexual intercourse underweight body weight obesity sex sexual activity adolescent adolescent behavior body mass index body weight female humans least-squares analysis male mothers national longitudinal study of adolescent health obesity sex distribution sexual behavior thinness united states