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Article: Economic Factors and Body Weight: An Empirical Analysis
- Article from:
- Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics
- Article date:
- August 1, 2008
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright Southern Agricultural Economics Association Aug 2008. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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With this study, we investigate the effects of changes in economic factors on body weight by constructing a utility theoretic model. The model is empirically estimated by combining data on individuals' body weight, demographic and physical activity information, and state-level measures pertaining to the prices of food away from home, food at home, and wages. By combining these data sources, we aim to estimate directly the weight effects of price and income changes. The empirical analysis suggests that decreasing the price of food at home could decrease body weight, a finding which has important public policy implications.
Key Words: body mass index, body weight, obesity, subsidy, tax
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