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The Influence of Socioeconomic and Environmental Determinants on Health and Obesity: A West Virginia Case Study

Author

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  • Anura Amarasinghe

    (Centre for the Built Environment and Health, School of Population Health, The University of Western Australia, 35 Stirling Highway, Crawley, Western Australia 6009, Australia)

  • Gerard D’Souza

    (Division of Resource Management, West Virginia University, P.O. Box 6108, Morgantown, WV 26505-6108, USA)

  • Cheryl Brown

    (Division of Resource Management, West Virginia University, P.O. Box 6108, Morgantown, WV 26505-6108, USA)

  • Hyungna Oh

    (College of Business and Economics, West Virginia University, P.O. Box 6025, Morgantown, WV 26505-6108, USA)

  • Tatiana Borisova

    (Food and Resource Economics Department, University of Florida, McCarty Hall A, P.O. Box 110240, Gainesville, FL 32611-0240, USA)

Abstract

A recursive system of ordered self assessed health together with BRFSS data were used to investigate health and obesity in the Appalachian state of West Virginia. Implications of unobserved heterogeneity and endogeneity of lifestyle outcomes on health were investigated. Obesity was found to be an endogenous lifestyle outcome associated with impaired health status. Risk of obesity is found to increase at a decreasing rate with per capita income and age. Intervention measures which stimulate human capital development, diet-disease knowledge and careful land use planning may improve health and obesity outcomes in Appalachia in particular and rural America in general.

Suggested Citation

  • Anura Amarasinghe & Gerard D’Souza & Cheryl Brown & Hyungna Oh & Tatiana Borisova, 2009. "The Influence of Socioeconomic and Environmental Determinants on Health and Obesity: A West Virginia Case Study," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 6(8), pages 1-17, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:6:y:2009:i:8:p:2271-2287:d:5566
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    References listed on IDEAS

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