Brunello, Giorgio, Sanz-de-Galdeano, Anna, Terskaya, Anastasia
Not only in my genes: The effects of peers’ genotype on obesity
Journal of Health Economics. 2020, 72: 102349. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhealeco.2020.102349
URI: http://hdl.handle.net/10045/108732
DOI: 10.1016/j.jhealeco.2020.102349
ISSN: 0167-6296 (Print)
Abstract: 
We use data from three waves of Add Health to study the short- and long-run effects of high school peers’ genetic predisposition to high BMI—measured by grade-mates’ average BMI polygenic scores—on adolescent and adult obesity in the U.S. We find that, in the short-run, a one standard deviation increase in peers’ average BMI polygenic scores raises the probability of obesity for females by 2.8% points, about half the size of the effect induced by a one standard deviation increase in one's own polygenic score. No significant effect is found for males. In the long-run, however, the social-genetic effect fades away, while the effect of one's own genetic risk for BMI increases substantially. We suggest that mechanisms explaining the short-run effect for females include changes in nutrition habits and a distorted perception of body size.
Keywords:Obesity, Peer effects, BMI polygenic scores, Add Health
Elsevier
info:eu-repo/semantics/article