International Migration and Child Obesity in Mexican Sending Communities

International migration between Mexico and the United States has profound implications for immigrant-sending communities in Mexico. We hypothesize that international migration may increase the risk of overweight and obesity among children in immigrant-sending households, particularly among low-SES children. We use the Mexican Family Life Survey to examine whether having family members in United States increases the prevalence of overweight and alters the socioeconomic gradient associated with overweight among children. As expected, we find that living in a migrant-sending household has a significant and positive effect on overweight and BMI percentile among children even after controlling for past weight status. We also find that international migration is associated with a flatter (less positive) SES gradient on children’s weight. Overall, the results suggest that international migration may have important negative consequences for the health of Mexican children in immigrantsending communities.