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The Long-Run Growth in Obesity as a Function of Technological Change

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Tomas J. Philipson
Richard A. Posner

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Abstract

This paper analyzes the factors contributing to the worldwide long-run rise in obesity and the effects of public interventions on its continued growth. The growth of obesity in a population results from an increase in calorie consumption relative to physical activity. Yet in developed countries, obesity has grown with modest rises in calorie consumption and with a substantial increase in both dieting and recreational exercise. We consider the economic incentives that give rise to a growth in obesity by stimulating intake of calories while discouraging the expending of calories on physical activity. We argue that technological change provides a natural interpretation of the long-run growth in obesity despite a rise in dieting and exercise, that it predicts that the effect of income on obesity falls with economic development, and that it implies that the growth in obesity may be self-limiting.

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Paper provided by National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc in its series NBER Working Papers with number 7423.

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Date of creation: Nov 1999
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Handle: RePEc:nbr:nberwo:7423

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I1 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health

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References listed on IDEAS
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  1. Arthur, W B, 1981. "The Economics of Risks to Life," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 71(1), pages 54-64, March. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  2. Tomas J. Philipson & Gary S. Becker, 1998. "Old-Age Longevity and Mortality-Contingent Claims," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 106(3), pages 551-573, June. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  3. Nayga, Rodolfo M, Jr, 1997. "Obesity and Heart Disease Awareness: A Note on the Impact of Consumer Characteristics Using Qualitative Choice Analysis," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor and Francis Journals, vol. 4(4), pages 229-31, April. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  4. Ippolito, Pauline M & Mathios, Alan D, 1995. "Information and Advertising: The Case of Fat Consumption in the United States," American Economic Review, American Economic Association, vol. 85(2), pages 91-95, May. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
  5. Biddle, Jeff E & Hamermesh, Daniel S, 1998. "Beauty, Productivity, and Discrimination: Lawyers' Looks and Lucre," Journal of Labor Economics, University of Chicago Press, vol. 16(1), pages 172-201, January. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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  6. Ehrlich, Isaac & Chuma, Hiroyuki, 1990. "A Model of the Demand for Longevity and the Value of Life Extension," Journal of Political Economy, University of Chicago Press, vol. 98(4), pages 761-82, August. [Downloadable!] (restricted)
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