The cause and effect problem: Is there mutual obesity among Arab Israeli couples?

Yuval Arbel,Chaim Fialkoff,Amichai Kerner,Kannan Navaneetham

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0240034

Yuval Arbel, Chaim Fialkoff + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0240034

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Abstract

The influence of the health-related behavior of one spouse on that of the other is an important research question with public policy reprecussions. Yet, we are unaware of any previous study, which considered endogeneity problems between couples. Moreover, only a few studies considered ethnic origin differences among couples. Based on the 2016 wave of the Israeli longitudinal survey, we observe the cross-sectional correlation between the married couples' BMI, age, and accumulated wealth. The BMI (= ) is a conventional measure of obesity, where BMI≥25 is considered overweight. Using a 3SLS methodology (in an effort to correct the endogeneity problem associated with BMI couples), the analysis tests the mutual obesity hypothesis among married couples. This hypothesis states that the BMI of the male influences that of a female and vice versa. Results indicate that on the one hand, a one-percent BMI increase among Arab Israeli males is associated with a projected 0.969 percent BMI increase among Arab Israeli females (p = 0.017); and in the case that an Arab Israeli male suffers from overweight, the projected probability of his Arab Israeli female counterpart to suffer from overweight as well rises (p = 0.050). On the other hand, one cannot reject the null hypothesis that projected BMI of the Arab Israeli male is unaffected by that of his Arab Israeli female counterpart (p = 0.907 and p = 0.853). As for the Jewish Israeli population, in the case that the 3SLS methodology is employed, so that the endogeneity problem among couples is considered, a one-percent BMI increase among Jewish Israeli females is associated with a projected 0.639 percent BMI increase among Jewish Israeli males (p = 0.091). Unlike Arab Israeli couples, no support is found to indicate the influence in the other direction, namely, the BMI of the male influences that of the female spouse. Research findings may thus be of relevance to public health and policy planners. Two limitations of this research lie in: 1) the self-reported BMI (which might be different from the measured BMI); and 2) missing confounders, such as regional dummies, which are not available in the dataset.

Highlights

The influence of the health-related behavior of one spouse on that of the other is an important research question with public policy reprecussions
Using a 3SLS methodology, the analysis tests the mutual obesity hypothesis among married couples
This hypothesis states that the Body Mess Index (BMI) of the male influences that of a female and vice versa

Summary

Introduction

The influence of the health-related behavior of one spouse on that of the other is an important research question with public policy reprecussions. Only a few studies have considered ethnic origin differences among couples (e.g., [1,2]). In spite of the fact that overweight and obesity are known risk factors for a long list of health problems (e.g., [3,4,5,6,7,8,9]), no studies, to the best of our knowledge, have examined the impact of. Body Mess Index (BMI) of the husband on that of the wife and vice versa while considering endogeneity problems. Given the shared life and mutual management of a family, the BMI of the male potentially influence that of a female and vice versa. Overlooking endogenity problems in estimated equations often yields biased and inconsistent estimates (for methods to handle these problems, see, for example, [11]: 330–377; [12]: 305–317; [13]: 651–733)

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