International Migration Review
2018

Language Use and Children’s BMI Growth among Second-Generation Immigrants in the United Kingdom (Article in Press)

Giunti S. , Oncini F.*
  • a Institute for Fiscal Studies, United Kingdom
  • b University of Trento, Italy

Abstract

This research note analyzes the relationship between language use and children’s Body Mass Index (BMI) growth in the United Kingdom. Making use of the Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), we assess whether the main language spoken in the household explains BMI divergences between immigrants’ and natives’ children. We provide evidence that the integration process hampers BMI growth and therefore exerts a small protective effect: male children living in English-speaking households gain weight slower than those with less integrated parents. However, the protective effect applies only to sons from higher social origins. © The Author(s) 2018.

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Link
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85059883547&doi=10.1177%2f0197918318798336&partnerID=40&md5=f3eaf087490a8e418a15137540f62b71
DOI: 10.1177/0197918318798336
ISSN: 01979183
Cited by: 2
Original Language: English