The Effect of Boarding on Obesity Among Middle School Students: Evidence From China

This paper examines the effect of boarding on obesity among middle school students at boarding schools.

Quantitative, cross-sectional study.

Data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) were analyzed. The CEPS samples middle school students from 7th grade to 9th grade in China.

The final sample included 3,892 observations of boarding school students.

Measures included body mass index (BMI) that determined obesity, boarding status, demographic information, and instruments for boarding status.

The instrumental variables approach based on the 2 stage least squares (2SLS) methodology was utilized. The endogenous models and the extended probit models were also applied to the data to confirm the robustness of the results.

Boarding has a significant negative effect on obesity for middle school boys but a smaller negative effect on obesity for middle school girls. Boarding was estimated to reduce obesity by roughly 14% (p < 0.01) among middle school boys and 6% (p > 0.1) among middle school girls. The overall estimated effect based on the pooled sample was about 10% (p < 0.01).

School or government policies that encourage boarding at school can reduce obesity among middle school students, at least for middle school boys. Boarding at school can be a positive factor in preventing and controlling obesity among middle school students.