IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/p/ags/aare04/58399.html
   My bibliography  Save this paper

Impacts of the Westernization of Food Preferences on Medical Costs in China

Author

Listed:
  • Curtis, Kynda R.
  • McCluskey, Jill J.

Abstract

The dietary changes in China to include more meat, dairy, and processed foods, are commonly attributed in literature to income increases, urbanization, and the availability of western food products. As seen in other Asian countries, these new food habits may increase obesity, diabetes, and other degenerative diseases among the Chinese people. These new health concerns will likely have economic consequences in terms of productivity losses and increased health care costs. This paper uses a Tobit model to analyze the influence of household demographics and food consumption on household medical costs in China. Results show that dietary choice has a definite impact on medical costs for the 800 households sampled. A nationwide dietary educational campaign in China may be useful in dampening the societal costs of dietary choice.

Suggested Citation

  • Curtis, Kynda R. & McCluskey, Jill J., 2004. "Impacts of the Westernization of Food Preferences on Medical Costs in China," 2004 Conference (48th), February 11-13, 2004, Melbourne, Australia 58399, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society.
    • Handle: RePEc:ags:aare04:58399
    DOI: 10.22004/ag.econ.58399
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://ageconsearch.umn.edu/record/58399/files/2004_curtis.pdf
    Download Restriction: no
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.22004/ag.econ.58399?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Han, Tong & Wahl, Thomas I., 1998. "China'S Rural Household Demand For Fruit And Vegetables," Journal of Agricultural and Applied Economics, Southern Agricultural Economics Association, vol. 30(1), pages 1-10, July.
    2. Fanning, Jasper & Marsh, Thomas L. & Stiegert, Kyle W., 2002. "Determinants Of Fast Food Consumption," 2002 Annual Meeting, July 28-31, 2002, Long Beach, California 36637, Western Agricultural Economics Association.
    3. Huang, Jikun & Rozelle, Scott, 1998. "Market development and food demand in rural China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 9(1), pages 25-45.
    4. Fredoun Z. Ahmadi-Esfahani & Roland G. Stanmore, 1997. "Demand for vegetables in a Chinese wholesale market," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 13(5), pages 549-559.
    5. Kuchler, Fred & Ballenger, Nicole, 2002. "Societal Costs of Obesity: How Can We Assess When Federal Interventions Will Pay?," Food Review/ National Food Review, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, vol. 25(3), pages 1-5.
    6. David M. Cutler & Edward L. Glaeser & Jesse M. Shapiro, 2003. "Why Have Americans Become More Obese?," Journal of Economic Perspectives, American Economic Association, vol. 17(3), pages 93-118, Summer.
    7. Fan, Shenggen & Agcaoili-Sombilla, Mercedita C., 1997. "Why projections on China's future food supply and demand differ," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 41(2), pages 1-22.
    8. Brian W. Gould, 2002. "Household composition and food expenditures in China," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 18(3), pages 387-407.
    9. Curtis, Kynda R. & McCluskey, Jill J. & Wahl, Thomas I., 2007. "Consumer preferences for western-style convenience foods in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 1-14.
    10. Kurt A. Carlson & Brian W. Gould, 1994. "The Role of Health Knowledge in Determining Dietary Fat Intake," Review of Agricultural Economics, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association, vol. 16(3), pages 373-386.
    11. Veeck, Ann & Veeck, Gregory, 2000. "Consumer Segmentation and Changing Food Purchase Patterns in Nanjing, PRC," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 28(3), pages 457-471, March.
    12. Chern, Wen S & Loehman, Edna T & Yen, Steven T, 1995. "Information, Health Risk Beliefs, and the Demand for Fats and Oils," The Review of Economics and Statistics, MIT Press, vol. 77(3), pages 555-564, August.
    13. Chen, Weiqi & Hong, Huasheng & Liu, Yan & Zhang, Luoping & Hou, Xiaofeng & Raymond, Mark, 2004. "Recreation demand and economic value: An application of travel cost method for Xiamen Island," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 15(4), pages 398-406.
    14. Popkin, B.M. & Paeratakul, S. & Ge, K. & Fengying, Z., 1995. "Body weight patterns among the Chinese: Results from the 1989 and 1991 China health and nutrition surveys," American Journal of Public Health, American Public Health Association, vol. 85(5), pages 690-694.
    15. Regmi, Anita, 2003. "A Richer World Wants a Richer Diet," Amber Waves:The Economics of Food, Farming, Natural Resources, and Rural America, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service, pages 1-2, November.
    16. Guo, Xuguang & Mroz, Thomas A & Popkin, Barry M & Zhai, Fengying, 2000. "Structural Change in the Impact of Income on Food Consumption in China, 1989-1993," Economic Development and Cultural Change, University of Chicago Press, vol. 48(4), pages 737-760, July.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. repec:lic:licosd:41519 is not listed 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. Curtis, Kynda R. & McCluskey, Jill J. & Wahl, Thomas I., 2007. "Consumer preferences for western-style convenience foods in China," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 18(1), pages 1-14.
    2. Curtis, Kynda R. & McCluskey, Jill J. & Wahl, Thomas I., 2003. "Westernization In China: A Case Study In Processed Potatoes," 2003 Annual meeting, July 27-30, Montreal, Canada 22036, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    3. Junfei Bai & Jill J. McCluskey & Hainan Wang & Shi Min, 2014. "Dietary Globalization in Chinese Breakfasts," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 62(3), pages 325-341, September.
    4. Xuqi Chen & Zhifeng Gao & Lisa House & Jiaoju Ge & Chengfeng Zong & Fred Gmitter, 2016. "Opportunities for Western Food Products in China: The Case of Orange Juice Demand," Agribusiness, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(3), pages 343-362, July.
    5. Fengxia Dong & Frank Fuller, 2010. "Dietary Structural Change in China's Cities: Empirical Fact or Urban Legend?," Canadian Journal of Agricultural Economics/Revue canadienne d'agroeconomie, Canadian Agricultural Economics Society/Societe canadienne d'agroeconomie, vol. 58(1), pages 73-91, March.
    6. Hongbo Liu & Kevin A. Parton & Zhang-Yue Zhou & Rod Cox, 2009. "At-home meat consumption in China: an empirical study ," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 53(4), pages 485-501, October.
    7. Liu, Hongbo & Parton, Kevin A. & Zhou, Zhang-Yue & Cox, Rod, 2009. "At-home meat consumption in China: an empirical study," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 53(4), pages 1-17.
    8. Liu, Hongbo & Parton, Kevin A. & Zhou, Zhangyue & Cox, Rod, 2011. "Away-from-Home Meat Consumption in China," Asian Journal of Agriculture and Development, Southeast Asian Regional Center for Graduate Study and Research in Agriculture (SEARCA), vol. 8(2), pages 1-15, December.
    9. Fuller, Frank & Huang, Jikun & Ma, Hengyun & Rozelle, Scott, 2006. "Got milk? The rapid rise of China's dairy sector and its future prospects," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 201-215, June.
    10. Ma, Hengyun & Huang, Jikun & Rozelle, Scott & Rae, Allan N., 2003. "Livestock Product Consumption Patterns In Urban And Rural China," China Agriculture Project Working Papers 23689, Massey University, Centre for Applied Economics and Policy Studies.
    11. Ma, Hengyun & Rae, Allan N. & Huang, Jikun & Rozelle, Scott, 2004. "Chinese animal product consumption in the 1990s," Australian Journal of Agricultural and Resource Economics, Australian Agricultural and Resource Economics Society, vol. 48(4), pages 1-22.
    12. Burggraf, Christine & Kuhn, Lena & Zhao, Qi-ran & Teuber, Ramona & Glauben, Thomas, 2015. "Economic growth and nutrition transition: An empirical analysis comparing demand elasticities for foods in China and Russia," EconStor Open Access Articles and Book Chapters, ZBW - Leibniz Information Centre for Economics, vol. 14(6), pages 1008-1022.
    13. Zhou, De & Yu, Xiaohua & Abler, David & Chen, Danhong, 2020. "Projecting meat and cereals demand for China based on a meta-analysis of income elasticities," China Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    14. Burggraf, Christine & Kuhn, Lena & Zhao, Qiran & Glauben, Thomas & Teuber, Ramona, 2014. "Economic growth and nutrition transition: an empirical study comparing demand elasticities for foods in China and Russia," 2014 International Congress, August 26-29, 2014, Ljubljana, Slovenia 182828, European Association of Agricultural Economists.
    15. Wang, Haiyan & Zivkovic, Sanja, 2018. "Household Food Demand Analysis in Rural China: Implications for Food Imports," 2018 Annual Meeting, February 2-6, 2018, Jacksonville, Florida 267163, Southern Agricultural Economics Association.
    16. Cao, Li‐Juan & Tian, Wei‐Ming & Wang, Ji‐Min & Malcolm, Bill & Liu, Hong‐Bo & Zhou, Zhang‐Yue, 2013. "Recent Food Consumption Trends in China and Trade," Australasian Agribusiness Review, University of Melbourne, Department of Agriculture and Food Systems, vol. 21, pages 1-30.
    17. Tomas Philipson & Richard Posner, 2008. "Is the Obesity Epidemic a Public Health Problem? A Decade of Research on the Economics of Obesity," NBER Working Papers 14010, National Bureau of Economic Research, Inc.
    18. Gould, Brian W. & Sabates, Ricardo, 2001. "The Structure Of Food Demand In Urban China: A Demand System Approach," 2001 Annual meeting, August 5-8, Chicago, IL 20778, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).
    19. Slade, Alexander N., 2012. "Health investment decisions in response to diabetes information in older Americans," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 31(3), pages 502-520.
    20. Shimokawa, Satoru & Pinstrup-Andersen, Per, 2006. "Economic Growth, Lifestyle Changes, and the Coexistence of Under and Overweight in China: A Semiparametric Approach," 2006 Annual meeting, July 23-26, Long Beach, CA 21334, American Agricultural Economics Association (New Name 2008: Agricultural and Applied Economics Association).

    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:ags:aare04:58399. 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: AgEcon Search (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://edirc.repec.org/data/aaresea.html .

    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.