IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/bcp/journl/v6y2022i9p336-341.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Worldwide Relation between Fast Food Availability and Obesity Rates

Author

Listed:
  • Maria Editha N. Lim

    (Central Luzon State University, Munoz, Nueva Ecija, Philippines)

Abstract

With thirty nine percent (39%) adults worldwide as overweight or obese in 2016, obesity has alarmingly reached epidemic proportions. Obesity has been associated with decreased life expectancy, increased mortality rates and diminished quality of life. Data show that its economic costs like healthcare expenses, reduced productivity and work loss are staggering. Obese people suffer from discrimination, depression and low self-esteem. Indeed, an examination of the determinants of obesity has become imperative. This study examined how food environments, specifically the availability of fast foods are associated with obesity. Using a quantitative methodology, this study analyzed country level data from 93 countries. Correlation and regression analysis were done to determine whether relationships exist between obesity rates (dependent variable) and independent variables such as number of persons per fast food establishment, number of persons per McDonald establishment, population, globalization index, average disposal income. Correlation results show that only globalization index has a positive relationship with obesity rates. Income classification of countries, population, number of persons per McDonald’s outlet and number of persons per fast food outlet are negatively correlated with obesity. Results from the regression analysis show three predictors of obesity rates: number of persons per McDonald’s outlet and number of persons per fast food and population. These predictors can account only 25 percent of total variability in obesity levels. In conclusion, though the relationship between fastfood availability and obesity is established, fastfood availability is not a strong single cause of obesity

Suggested Citation

  • Maria Editha N. Lim, 2022. "Worldwide Relation between Fast Food Availability and Obesity Rates," International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science, International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS), vol. 6(9), pages 336-341, September.
  • Handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:6:y:2022:i:9:p:336-341
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/Digital-Library/volume-6-issue-9/336-341.pdf
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://www.rsisinternational.org/virtual-library/papers/worldwide-relation-between-fast-food-availability-and-obesity-rates/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Manoj Thomas & Kalpesh Kaushik Desai & Satheeshkumar Seenivasan, 2011. "How Credit Card Payments Increase Unhealthy Food Purchases: Visceral Regulation of Vices," Journal of Consumer Research, Journal of Consumer Research Inc., vol. 38(1), pages 126-139.
    2. Richard A. Dunn, 2010. "The Effect of Fast-Food Availability on Obesity: An Analysis by Gender, Race, and Residential Location," American Journal of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 92(4), pages 1149-1164.
    3. Lorna K. Fraser & Kimberly L. Edwards & Janet Cade & Graham P. Clarke, 2010. "The Geography of Fast Food Outlets: A Review," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 7(5), pages 1-19, May.
    4. Janet Currie & Stefano DellaVigna & Enrico Moretti & Vikram Pathania, 2010. "The Effect of Fast Food Restaurants on Obesity and Weight Gain," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 2(3), pages 32-63, August.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Susan Elizabeth Chen & Raymond J. Florax & Samantha D. Snyder, 2013. "Obesity and fast food in urban markets: a new approach using geo‐referenced micro data," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(7), pages 835-856, July.
    2. Asirvatham, Jebaraj & Thomsen, Michael R. & Nayga, Rodolfo M. & Goudie, Anthony, 2019. "Do fast food restaurants surrounding schools affect childhood obesity?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 33(C), pages 124-133.
    3. Mouhcine Guettabi & Abdul Munasib, 2014. "Urban Sprawl, Obesogenic Environment, And Child Weight," Journal of Regional Science, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 54(3), pages 378-401, June.
    4. Nancy Kong & Weina Zhou, 2021. "The curse of modernization? Western fast food and Chinese children's weight," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 30(10), pages 2345-2366, September.
    5. Jan Marcus & Thomas Siedler & Nicolas R. Ziebarth, 2022. "The Long-Run Effects of Sports Club Vouchers for Primary School Children," American Economic Journal: Economic Policy, American Economic Association, vol. 14(3), pages 128-165, August.
    6. Xun Li & Rigoberto A. Lopez, 2016. "Food environment and weight outcomes: a stochastic frontier approach," Applied Economics, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 48(47), pages 4526-4537, October.
    7. Hunt Allcott & Rebecca Diamond & Jean-Pierre Dubé & Jessie Handbury & Ilya Rahkovsky & Molly Schnell, 2019. "Food Deserts and the Causes of Nutritional Inequality," The Quarterly Journal of Economics, President and Fellows of Harvard College, vol. 134(4), pages 1793-1844.
    8. Dolton, Peter J. & Tafesse, Wiktoria, 2022. "Childhood obesity, is fast food exposure a factor?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
    9. Charles J. Courtemanche & Joshua C. Pinkston & Christopher J. Ruhm & George L. Wehby, 2016. "Can Changing Economic Factors Explain the Rise in Obesity?," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 82(4), pages 1266-1310, April.
    10. Chang, Hung-Hao & Meyerhoefer, Chad D., 2019. "Inter-brand competition in the convenience store industry, store density and healthcare utilization," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 65(C), pages 117-132.
    11. Courtemanche, Charles & Pinkston, Joshua C. & Stewart, Jay, 2021. "Time spent exercising and obesity: An application of Lewbel’s instrumental variables method," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 41(C).
    12. Dunn, Richard A. & Sharkey, Joseph R. & Horel, Scott, 2012. "The effect of fast-food availability on fast-food consumption and obesity among rural residents: An analysis by race/ethnicity," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 10(1), pages 1-13.
    13. Charles Courtemanche & Garth Heutel & Patrick McAlvanah, 2015. "Impatience, Incentives and Obesity," Economic Journal, Royal Economic Society, vol. 125(582), pages 1-31, February.
    14. Georgia S. Papoutsi & Andreas C. Drichoutis & Rodolfo M. Nayga Jr., 2013. "The Causes Of Childhood Obesity: A Survey," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 27(4), pages 743-767, September.
    15. Han, Jeehee & Schwartz, Amy Ellen & Elbel, Brian, 2020. "Does proximity to fast food cause childhood obesity? Evidence from public housing," Regional Science and Urban Economics, Elsevier, vol. 84(C).
    16. Datar, Ashlesha & Nicosia, Nancy & Samek, Anya, 2023. "Heterogeneity in place effects on health: The case of time preferences and adolescent obesity," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 49(C).
    17. Ashlesha Datar & Nancy Nicosia & Anya Samek, 2022. "Heterogeneity in Place Effects on Health: The Case of Time Preferences and Adolescent Obesity," NBER Working Papers 29935, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    18. Chen, Lipeng & Liu, Wanlin, 2022. "The effect of Internet access on body weight: Evidence from China," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    19. Dunn, Richard A. & Nayga, Rodolfo M. Jr. & Thomsen, Michael & Rouse, Heather L., 2014. "A Longitudinal Analysis of Fast-Food Exposure On Child Weight Outcomes: Identifying Causality Through School Transitions," Working Paper series 290100, University of Connecticut, Charles J. Zwick Center for Food and Resource Policy.
    20. Wehby, George L. & Courtemanche, Charles J., 2012. "The heterogeneity of the cigarette price effect on body mass index," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(5), pages 719-729.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:bcp:journl:v:6:y:2022:i:9:p:336-341. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Dr. Pawan Verma (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://rsisinternational.org/journals/ijriss/ .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.