Parental imprisonment, delinquent behavior, and BMI gain in a U.S. nationally representative cohort study of adolescents and adults ages 12-32
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Date
2023
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Abstract
Children who experience parental imprisonment report greater mental and physical health adversities in
adolescence and adulthood relative to comparable individuals whose parents did not serve time in prison.
Research has linked BMI gain with parental imprisonment among females, but other studies have shown null or
negative associations between parental imprisonment and weight increases for their offspring. Using longitudinal
data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health, this study attempts to resolve these
differential findings by examining the interrelationship between delinquent behavior and BMI associated with
parental imprisonment as individuals progress from adolescence into adulthood (ages 12–32). We show that
higher delinquency levels are associated with lower BMI among men and women. With the transition from
adolescence to adulthood, parental imprisonment is linked with increased BMI gain and obesity among females
who are not delinquent. These findings highlight the need to consider how the decline in delinquent behavior
and increasing health disparities between adolescence and adulthood may intersect as individuals experiencing
parental imprisonment transition from adolescence to adulthood.
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Keywords
Parental imprisonment Delinquency Body mass index Social determinants of health Life course