Smoking to your kids gain? Childhood exposure to parental smoking and obesity

Melbourne Institute Working Paper No. 15/24

Date: December 2024

Author(s):

Kushneel Prakash
Sanjesh Kumar

Abstract

We empirically investigate the link between parental smoking during childhood or adolescence and the probability of adult obesity. Utilizing data from Household, Income and Labour Dynamics Survey for Australia spanning 2006-2021, our analysis reveals that individuals who were exposed to parental smoking during their childhood exhibit a 4.7 percentage point higher likelihood of being obese in later stages of life. Several robustness checks indicate that the results can be suggestive of a causal relationship. Our findings indicate that health, social capital, and personality traits act as significant pathways through which early exposure to parental smoking during childhood raises the risk of adult obesity. The implications of our findings are significant for early-life interventions aimed at addressing obesity stemming from exposure to passive smoking.

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