Maternal Education and Childhood Obesity in Türkiye: Is There A Causal Link?

This paper examines the causal impact of maternal education on child’s probability of being overweight/obese using 2022 Türkiye Child Survey (TCS) micro dataset of the Turkish Statistical Institute (TURKSTAT). We implement Instrumental Variable (IV) estimation methodology for children between 2 and 17 years old. Our results suggest that higher levels of maternal education decrease the child’s probability of being overweight/obese, though it is not statistically significant. We further examine the impact of maternal education on  dietary and exercise habits of children. The results suggest that higher levels of maternal education do not affect these outcomes either. Hence, we conclude that higher levels of maternal education do not lead to significant improvement in health behaviors among children. Therefore, we conclude that relying solely on maternal education are unlikely to generate substantial reductions in childhood obesity unless complemented by school-level interventions and curriculum reforms.