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Table 2 OLS estimates for effect of environment on BMI of immigrants (NIS 2003)

From: Association between environmental factors and BMI: evidence from recent immigrants from developing countries

Dependent var.: BMI

Male

Female

All

(1)

(2)

(3)

(1)

(2)

(3)

(1)

(2)

(3)

Local obesity rate

0.107 (0.061)

0.111* (0.059)

0.089 (0.112)

0.182** (0.076)

0.175** (0.077)

0.261** (0.090)

0.148** (0.063)

0.144** (0.062)

0.162* (0.092)

Age (years)

0.028* (0.014)

0.024 (0.014)

0.023 (0.014)

0.076*** (0.022)

0.076*** (0.021)

0.073*** (0.021)

0.046** (0.017)

0.040** (0.017)

0.039** (0.017)

College degree (= 1)

− 0.186 (0.239)

− 0.174 (0.258)

− 0.143 (0.256)

− 0.828** (0.353)

− 0.891** (0.346)

− 0.883** (0.343)

− 0.552** (0.245)

− 0.517** (0.238)

− 0.478* (0.226)

Married (= 1)

0.229 (0.238)

0.389 (0.232)

0.407 (0.232)

0.814 (0.521)

0.865 (0.559)

0.850 (0.561)

0.414 (0.268)

0.505 (0.312)

0.519 (0.317)

Employed (= 1)

0.638** (0.267)

0.608** (0.262)

0.614** (0.26)

− 0.198 (0.382)

− 0.053 (0.376)

− 0.011 (0.383)

− 0.090 (0.288)

− 0.0003 (0.284)

0.018 (0.285)

Number of children

0.275** (0.118)

0.257** (0.118)

0.256** (0.11)

0.578*** (0.126)

0.546*** (0.137)

0.536*** (0.14)

0.456*** (0.061)

0.437*** (0.063)

0.431*** (0.064)

Duration of residence in the USA (years)

0.066** (0.027)

0.076** (0.026)

0.072** (0.027)

0.033 (0.025)

0.044* (0.022)

0.035 (0.023)

0.050** (0.026)

0.064** (0.024)

0.057** (0.026)

Citizenship sponsored through employer (= 1)

0.267* (0.192)

0.197 (0.198)

0.240 (0.230)

0.253 (0.431)

0.091 (0.430)

0.213 (0.443)

0.307 (0.230)

0.224 (0.234)

0.298 (0.264)

From Asia (= 1)

− 1.159*** (0.265)

− 1.206*** (0.278)

− 1.283*** (0.253)

− 2.191*** (0.667)

− 2.060*** (0.615)

− 2.412*** (0.703)

− 1.574*** (0.250)

− 1.576*** (0.250)

− 1.738*** (0.294)

From Africa (= 1)

Base

Base

Base

Base

Base

Base

Base

Base

Base

From Latin America and the Caribbean (= 1)

1.430** (0.577)

1.461** (0.555)

1.367** (0.507)

1.621** (0.743)

1.679** (0.642)

1.317** (0.601)

1.569** (0.562)

1.538** (0.525)

1.353** (0.469)

Income (= income/10000)

0.049* (0.024)

0.055** (0.022)

0.055** (0.022)

− 0.027 (0.050)

− 0.026 (0.047)

− 0.014 (0.045)

0.047*** (0.014)

0.050*** (0.014)

0.052*** (0.013)

Gender

− 0.967*** (0.197)

− 0.974*** (0.178)

− 0.976*** (0.185)

Smoker (= 1)

− 0.11 (0.257)

− 0.078 (0.260)

− 0.077 (0.261)

− 0.653 (0.731)

− 0.630 (0.744)

− 0.616 (0.763)

− 0.321 (0.192)

− 0.292 (0.185)

− 0.283 (0.188)

Alcohol consumer (= 1)

0.403 (0.245)

0.410 (0.234)

0.409* (0.227)

− 0.003 (0.270)

0.018 (0.267)

0.017* (0.279)

0.215 (0.194)

0.244 (0.192)

0.227 (0.187)

Diet change (= 1)

− 0.149 (0.283)

− 0.145 (0.280)

0.249* (0.127)

0.265* (0.141)

− 0.013 (0.170)

− 0.011 (0.164)

Education in the USA (years)

− 0.065** (0.030)

− 0.066** (0.029)

− 0.072 (0.043)

− 0.073* (0.041)

− 0.071** (0.025)

− 0.071** (0.024)

Speaks English well/very well (= 1)

− 0.037 (0.314)

0.059 (0.317)

0.736* (0.390)

0.645 (0.384)

0.264 (0.258)

0.255 (0.258)

Speaks English with spouse (= 1)

− 0.577** (0.207)

− 0.583** (0.207)

− 0.187 (0.259)

− 0.169 (0.256)

− 0.390* (0.188)

− 0.383* (0.187)

Speaks English with friends (= 1)

0.440 (0.275)

0.463 (0.290)

0.209 (0.379)

0.319 (0.369)

0.341 (0.251)

0.396 (0.267)

Speaks English at work (= 1)

− 0.190 (0.427)

− 0.215 (0.442)

− 0.968** (0.374)

− 0.947** (0.368)

− 0.689* (0.376)

− 0.698* (0.377)

Percentage of immigrant population

0.012 (0.027)

0.099*** (0.025)

0.049** (0.021)

Percentage of White population in the state

− 0.008 (0.025)

0.047* (0.022)

0.013 (0.018)

State poverty rate

− 0.002 (0.047)

− 0.007 (0.052)

− 0.002 (0.042)

Constant

20.03*** (1.187)

20.15*** (1.138)

21.16*** (4.051)

16.74*** (1.586)

16.88*** (1.329)

10.42** (3.609)

20.23*** (1.312)

20.69*** (1.138)

18.70*** (3.084)

N

1189

1189

1189

913

913

913

2102

2102

2102

R square

0.151

0.156

0.157

0.253

0.258

0.263

0.191

0.195

0.198

Individual control variables

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Yes

Acculturation variables

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

No

Yes

Yes

Environmental variables

No

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

No

No

Yes

  1. Standard errors are corrected for heteroscedasticity and clustered at state level. Robust standard errors are in parentheses. *P < 0.1, **P < 0.05, ***P < 0.01. Individual controls are immigrant demographic variables such as age, employment status, number of children, marital status, year, if citizenship was sponsored, and the region of origin. Acculturation variables are English-speaking proficiency, use of English while conversing at work, use of English with friends, use of English with a spouse, years of education in the USA. Environmental variables are poverty rate, percent of immigrants, and percent of White population in the state