An economic analysis of adult obesity: results from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (original) (raw)

An Economic Analysis of Adult Obesity: Results from the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System', Journal of Health Economics, 23 (3), May, 565-87

This paper examines the factors that may be responsible for the 50% increase in the number of obese adults in the US since the late 1970s. We employ the 1984-1999 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, augmented with state level measures pertaining to the per capita number of fast-food and full-service restaurants, the prices of a meal in each type of restaurant, food consumed at home, cigarettes, and alcohol, and clean indoor air laws. Our main results are that these variables have the expected effects on obesity and explain a substantial amount of its trend.

The Macroeconomics of Obesity in the United States

2006

The weight of the average American adult male and female has increased by 16 and 14 pounds respectively and obesity rates have doubled since the early 1960s. Recent studies show these changes in weight can be attributed to the dramatic rise in the consumption of food away from home. We investigate the role of taxes and the gender wage gap in accounting for the trends in the composition of food consumed by the average American adult. According to our general equilibrium analysis, the observed movements in the personal income tax rate and in the gender wage gap explain the increase in the caloric intake from the consumption of food away from home. Our theory is also consistent with the patterns of time use on market activities, food preparation, and capital specific for cooking activities of Americans.

A Macroeconomic Analysis of Obesity in the U.S

2007

We perform a dynamic general equilibrium analysis of the observed increase in the average weight of American adults during the last 40 years. Data suggests that this increase in weight can be attributed to a dramatic rise in the consumption of foods prepared away from home, which resulted in higher caloric intake. We study the quantitative implications of two different hypotheses that may help explain the increased consumption of foods prepared away from home: technological advancements in the production of processed food that lowered its price, and higher opportunity cost of cooking at home driven by lower taxes and gender wage gap. According to our model, actual trends in the gender wage gap and income taxes alone can account for almost all of the observed changes in calorie consumption, expenditure in food away from home, ingredients for cooking at home, consumption of non-food items, investment, and GDP. When taxes and the gender wage gap are held constant, technological advance...

The Super Size of America: An Economic Estimation of Body Mass Index and Obesity in Adults

2006

The increased prevalence of obesity in the US stresses the need for answers as to why this rapid rise has occurred. This paper employs micro-level data from the First, Second, and Third National Health and Nutrition xamination Surveys to determine the effects that state-level policies have on BMI and obesity. These policies, which include restaurants per capita, the gasoline tax,

Economic factors affecting the increase in obesity in the United States: Differential response to price

Food Policy, 2008

Over the past decade, the human obesity rate in the United States has experienced a big increase. Genetic factors contribute to the problem of obesity, but overnutrition is also an important factor in the recent increased prevalence. A large consumption of foods high in sugar and fat increases the likelihood of weight gain, especially with low physical activity. Sugar may play a major role in increased obesity and in binge eating. Eating sweets can be addictive and induces one to eat more. Consequently, the total energy intake rises, which causes problems of overweight and obesity. This paper is based on the theory of rational addiction. In the case of food consumption, the theory suggests that addicts consume certain types of foods even if food prices change. The empirical results from the multinomial logit model show that overweight and obese people respond to a change in the current price of sugar. As sugar price increases, the likelihood that they will consume less sugar increases, and their body mass index (BMI in kg/m 2 ) tends to decrease. Even if current or future prices of potatoes (carbohydrates) increase, people will continue consuming carbohydrates. Increasing current and historical prices of milk (fats) significantly decrease the probability of falling in the "overweight" and "obese" categories. Some socioeconomic and demographic variables are included in the analysis, and it appears that education level has the greatest negative impact on the BMI. Finally, with the marginal impacts of economic determinants of obesity, this paper provides policy makers with a better understanding about which factors could be used to decrease obesity trends in the future. iv ACKNOWLEDGMENTS I would like to thank my major advisors, Dr. Dragan Miljkovic and Dr. William Nganje, for their support and guidance. I appreciate the help from my committee members, Dr. Cheryl Devuyst and Dr. Jane Edwards, for their constructive comments throughout the academic year.

Can Changing Economic Factors Explain the Rise in Obesity?

2015

and the 5th Annual Meeting on the Economics of Risky Behaviors provided valuable feedback. We thank Xilin Zhou and Antonios Koumpias for excellent research assistance. Ruhm thanks the University of Virginia Bankard Fund for financial support for this research. The views expressed herein are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Bureau of Economic Research. NBER working papers are circulated for discussion and comment purposes. They have not been peerreviewed or been subject to the review by the NBER Board of Directors that accompanies official NBER publications.

The Marginal External Cost of Obesity in the United States

2012

Over the past five decades in the United States both total medical expenditures and the proportion of medical expenditures financed with public funds have increased significantly. A substantial increase in the prevalence of obesity has contributed to this growth. In this study we measure the external cost of obesity, in the form of publicly funded health-care expenditures, and how this cost changes when the distribution of obesity in the population changes. We use a continuous measure of obesity, BMI, rather than discrete weight categories to represent the distribution of obesity and changes in it. We predict that a 1-unit increase in BMI for every adult in the United States would increase annual public medical expenditures by 38.7billion.Thisestimatedpubliccostequatestoanaveragemarginalcostof38.7 billion. This estimated public cost equates to an average marginal cost of 38.7billion.Thisestimatedpubliccostequatestoanaveragemarginalcostof175 per year per adult for a one unit change in BMI for each adult in the U.S. population. Separately, we estimate that if every U.S. adult who is now obese (BMI ≥ 30) had a BMI of 25 instead, annual public medical expenditures would decline by 173.7billion(inconstant2008173.7 billion (in constant 2008173.7billion(inconstant2008), or 17.2% of annual public medical expenditures in 2008. Assuming a socially optimal BMI of no more than 25, we estimate that the prevalence of obesity in 2008 resulted in a deadweight loss of $216.7 billion in 2008.