IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/gam/jijerp/v19y2022i2p938-d725238.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Does the Prevalence of Obesity Affect the Demand for Soft Drinks? Evidence from Cross-Country Panel Data

Author

Listed:
  • Fabrizio Ferretti

    (Department of Communication and Economics, School of Social Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 42121 Reggio Emilia, Italy)

  • Michele Mariani

    (Department of Communication and Economics, School of Social Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 42121 Reggio Emilia, Italy)

  • Elena Sarti

    (Department of Communication and Economics, School of Social Sciences, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, 42121 Reggio Emilia, Italy)

Abstract

The impact of soft drinks on obesity has been widely investigated during the last decades. Conversely, the role of obesity as a factor influencing the demand for soft drinks remains largely unexplored. However, understanding potential changes in the demand for soft drinks, as a result of changes in the spread of obesity, may be useful to better design a comprehensive strategy to curb soft drink consumption. In this paper, we aim to answer the following research question: Does the prevalence of obesity affect the demand for soft drinks? For this purpose, we collected data in a sample of 97 countries worldwide for the period 2005–2019. To deal with problems of reverse causality, an instrumental variable approach and a two-stage least squares method were used to estimate the impact of the age-standardized obesity rate on the market demand for soft drinks. After controlling for several demographic and socio-economic confounding factors, we found that a one percent increase in the prevalence of obesity increases the consumption of soft drinks and carbonated soft drinks by about 2.37 and 1.11 L per person/year, respectively. Our findings corroborate the idea that the development of an obesogenic food environment is a self-sustaining process, in which obesity and unhealthy lifestyles reinforce each other, and further support the need for an integrated approach to curb soft drink consumption by combining sugar taxes with bans, regulations, and nutrition education programs.

Suggested Citation

  • Fabrizio Ferretti & Michele Mariani & Elena Sarti, 2022. "Does the Prevalence of Obesity Affect the Demand for Soft Drinks? Evidence from Cross-Country Panel Data," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(2), pages 1-12, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:2:p:938-:d:725238
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/2/938/pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/2/938/
    Download Restriction: no
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yang, L. & Bovet, P. & Liu, Y. & Zhao, M. & Ma, C. & Liang, Y. & Xi, B., 2017. "Consumption of carbonated soft drinks among young adolescents aged 12 to 15 years in 53 low-and middle-income countries," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 107(7), pages 1095-1100.
    2. Lin, Tracy Kuo & Teymourian, Yasmin & Tursini, Maitri Shila, 2018. "The effect of sugar and processed food imports on the prevalence of overweight and obesity in 172 countries," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 101053, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    3. repec:aph:ajpbhl:10.2105/ajph.2017.303762_3 is not listed on IDEAS
    4. Matthew J. Kotchen & James H. Stock & Catherine D. Wolfram, 2019. "Introduction to "Environmental and Energy Policy and the Economy"," NBER Chapters, in: Environmental and Energy Policy and the Economy, volume 1, pages 3-7, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    5. Cawley, John (ed.), 2011. "The Oxford Handbook of the Social Science of Obesity," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780199736362.
    6. Basu, S. & McKee, M. & Galea, G. & Stuckler, D., 2013. "Relationship of soft drink consumption to global overweight, obesity, and diabetes: A cross-national analysis of 75 countries," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 103(11), pages 2071-2077.
    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. Wan Ying Gan & Siti Fathiah Mohamed & Leh Shii Law, 2019. "Unhealthy Lifestyle Associated with Higher Intake of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages among Malaysian School-Aged Adolescents," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(15), pages 1-13, August.
    2. Mendez Lopez, Ana & Loopstra, Rachel & McKee, Martin & Stuckler, David, 2017. "Is trade liberalisation a vector for the spread of sugar-sweetened beverages? A cross-national longitudinal analysis of 44 low- and middle-income countries," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 172(C), pages 21-27.
    3. Alberto Gago & Xavier Labandeira & Xiral López Otero, 2014. "A Panorama on Energy Taxes and Green Tax Reforms," Hacienda Pública Española / Review of Public Economics, IEF, vol. 208(1), pages 145-190, March.
    4. Meyer, Sophie-Charlotte, 2016. "Maternal employment and childhood overweight in Germany," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 23(C), pages 84-102.
    5. Kirsti Iivonen, 2018. "Defensive Responses to Strategic Sustainability Paradoxes: Have Your Coke and Drink It Too!," Journal of Business Ethics, Springer, vol. 148(2), pages 309-327, March.
    6. Hui Fan & Xingyu Zhang, 2020. "Clustering of Poor Dietary Habits among Adolescents Aged 12 to 15 Years in 52 Low-Income and Middle-Income Countries," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(18), pages 1-12, September.
    7. Scott Carson, 2015. "A Weighty Issue: Diminished Net Nutrition Among the U.S. Working Class in the Nineteenth Century," Demography, Springer;Population Association of America (PAA), vol. 52(3), pages 945-966, June.
    8. Dinh, Tami & Schultze, Wolfgang, 2022. "Accounting for R&D on the income statement? Evidence on non-discretionary vs. discretionary R&D capitalization under IFRS in Germany," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
    9. Dang, Rui, 2015. "Spillover effects of local human capital stock on adult obesity: Evidence from German neighborhoods," Ruhr Economic Papers 585, RWI - Leibniz-Institut für Wirtschaftsforschung, Ruhr-University Bochum, TU Dortmund University, University of Duisburg-Essen.
    10. Cremer, Helmuth & Goulão, Catarina & Roeder, Kerstin, 2016. "Earmarking and the political support of fat taxes," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 50(C), pages 258-267.
    11. Scott A. Carson, 2012. "Nineteenth Century Biological Conditions on the High Central Plains," CESifo Working Paper Series 3807, CESifo.
    12. Belot, Michèle & James, Jonathan & Vecchi, Martina & Vitt, Nicolai, 2019. "Stress and Food Preferences: A Lab Experiment with Low-SES Mothers," IZA Discussion Papers 12674, Institute of Labor Economics (IZA).
    13. Prodosh Eugene Simlai, 2024. "Risk Characterization of Firms with ESG Attributes Using a Supervised Machine Learning Method," JRFM, MDPI, vol. 17(5), pages 1-9, May.
    14. Cavaco, Sandra & Eriksson, Tor & Skalli, Ali, 2014. "Life cycle development of obesity and its determinants in six European countries," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 14(C), pages 62-78.
    15. Melissa Neuman & Ichiro Kawachi & Steven Gortmaker & SV Subramanian, 2014. "National Economic Development and Disparities in Body Mass Index: A Cross-Sectional Study of Data from 38 Countries," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 9(6), pages 1-18, June.
    16. Scott A. Carson, 2021. "Omitting the Obvious: Cohort Effects in 19th and 20th Century BMI Variation," CESifo Working Paper Series 8817, CESifo.
    17. Edna Aparecida Greggio Possebon & Felippe Aparecido Cippiciani & José Roberto Ferreira Savoia & Frédéric de Mariz, 2024. "ESG Scores and Performance in Brazilian Public Companies," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(13), pages 1-18, July.
    18. Joong Seob Lee & Tae Jun Kim & Sung Kwang Hong & Chanyang Min & Dae Myoung Yoo & Jee Hye Wee & Hyo Geun Choi, 2021. "Impact of Coffee/Green Tea/Soft Drink Consumption on the Risk of Hyperuricemia: A Cross-Sectional Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(14), pages 1-11, July.
    19. 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.
    20. Scott A. Carson, 2012. "Nineteenth Century US BMIs by Race: Socioeconomics and Biology," CESifo Working Paper Series 3971, CESifo.

    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:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:2:p:938-:d:725238. 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: MDPI Indexing Manager (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.mdpi.com .

    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.