Family Structure, Maternal Nativity Status and Childhood Overweight and Obesity: Evidence from the UK

Using data from the British Millennium Cohort Study (MCS), we examine the relationship between family structure and overweight/obesity in early childhood, exploring whether and how it varies both by family structure and maternal nativity status. Because the resources available to different family types, and the form and function of the family, are likely to vary across different nativity groups, a closer examination of heterogeneous effects by mother’s nativity status may shed light on the underlying processes that drive gaps in well-being by family structure. First generation migrants are often married but they tend also to be disadvantaged socio-economically. Nonetheless, migrants and their children also tend to have better health outcomes. Preliminary findings suggest that the predominant explanations for child health gaps by family structure may be less pertinent for first and second generation migrant mothers who are less able to use their marital status to attain greater or higher quality resources.