New research by Georgia State University economists found a link between dual-income households and having children that are overweight and obese.
But not just any households: the phenomenon was concentrated with highly educated, married white couples.
It didn’t change the outcome which gender worked, a mom or a dad. The researchers concluded that if a dad spent time with the kids and made healthy meals, kept them from raiding the cupboard and kept them active, that would help.
“Two working parents create a strain on time,” GSU economist Charles Courtemanche said in a statement. “When time gets tight, it changes both the nature of family meals and the question of who’s supervising, two common reasons to think there’s a causal link.” Courtemanche wrote the papery with Rusty Tchernis and Xilin Zhou.
Obesity damages children's health in many ways, including in affecting their development.
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