Effects of pocket money on weight status among junior high school students: a longitudinal study in China

Abstract Background Overweight and obesity among adolescents has become a common public health problem, and both obesity rates and the amount of pocket money among adolescents in China are rising. We investigated to what extent the increase in pocket money could lead to weight gain of junior high school students and how this association may vary by school environment in China. Methods We used the three waves of a national longitudinal study– the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS). The generalized estimation equation (GEE) was used to examine the probability of overweight and obesity. Three GEE models were used to examine overweight and obesity determined by pocket money in two different food environments around school. Results A total of 8,903 individuals (4,604 boys and 4,299 girls) from the China Education Panel Survey (CEPS) were included in the current study. After controlling for confounding factors, girls with 20–49 yuan and ≥ 50 yuan have a higher risk of overweight and obesity than 0–9 yuan pocket money (OR = 1.34, 95% CI: 1.07–1.69, OR = 1.53, 95% CI: 1.22–1.92), but there were no significant associations between pocket money and overweight and obesity when food around the school was not convenient. Conclusions The overweight rate of Chinese teenagers continued to rise from Wave1 to Wave3. Adolescents with more pocket money have a higher risk of being overweight and obese.