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

Purpose: This paper examines the effect of boarding on obesity among middle school students at boarding schools. Design: Quantitative, cross-sectional study. Setting: Data from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) were analyzed. The CEPS samples middle school students from 7th grade to 9th grade in China. Subjects: The final sample included 3,892 observations of boarding school students. Measures: Measures included body mass index (BMI) that determined obesity, boarding status, demographic information, and instruments for boarding status. Analysis: 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. 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). Conclusion: 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.