Please use this identifier to cite or link to this item: https://hdl.handle.net/10419/67186 
Year of Publication: 
2012
Series/Report no.: 
IZA Discussion Papers No. 6898
Publisher: 
Institute for the Study of Labor (IZA), Bonn
Abstract: 
There is a substantial correlation between household debt and bodyweight. Theory suggests that a causal relationship between debt and bodyweight could run in either direction or both could be caused by unobserved common factors. We use OLS and Propensity Score Matching to ascertain if household debt (measured by credit card indebtedness and having trouble paying bills) is a potential cause of obesity. We find a strong positive correlation between debt and weight for women but this seems driven largely by unobservables. In contrast, men with trouble paying their bills are thinner and this is robust to various specification checks.
Subjects: 
obesity
credit card debt
propensity score matching
JEL: 
I10
I12
I14
Document Type: 
Working Paper

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