The Applied Economics of Weight and Obesity

This volume consists of a broad selection of studies on the applied economics of weight and obesity. The chapters cover a wide spectrum of topics, and employ a variety of applied techniques across a range of countries. Some of the issues explored include: the relationship between childhood obesity and food insecurity; adolescent weight gain and social networks; obesity and happiness; the relationship between fast food and obesity; tobacco control; race and gender differences; and consumer health. This book is a compilation of articles originally published in the journals Applied Economics and Applied Economics Letters.

Mark P. Taylor is Dean of Warwick Business School, UK, and is a leading international authority in open economy macroeconomics and international finance. Although interested in broad research subjects, he focuses particularly on empirical work on exchange rates. Amongst his many published works are studies on the presence of nonlinearity in real and nominal exchange rate movements, on the long-run behaviour of real exchange rates, on the nature and effectiveness of official foreign exchange market intervention and on the micro-structural effects of European Central Bank interest rate announcements.

Introduction Mark P. Taylor 1. Adolescent weight gain and social networks: is there a contagion effect? Mir M. Ali, Aliaksandr Amialchuk, Song Gao and Frank Heiland 2. Obesity and happiness Marina Selini Katsaiti 3. The relationship between childhood obesity and food insecurity: a nonparametric analysis Oluyemisi Kuku, Steven Garasky and Craig Gundersen 4. Socio-economic characteristics and obesity in underdeveloped economies: does income really matter? Awudu Abdulai 5. Dollars and pounds: the impact of family income on childhood weight Y.F Chia 6. Race and gender differences in the cognitive effects of childhood overweight Susan L. Averett and David C. Stifel 7. The relationship between smoking, quitting smoking and obesity in Australia: a seemingly unrelated probit approach Nicole Au, Katharina Hauck and Bruce Hollingsworth 8. Tobacco control and obesity: evidence from a cross section of countries Craig A. Gallet 9. Obesity and heart disease awareness: a note on the impact of consumer characteristics using qualitative choice analysis Rodolfo M. Nayga Jr. 10. Social interactions and the contemporaneous determinants of individuals' weight Joan Costa-Font and Joan Gil 11. Low carbohydrate information, consumer health preferences and market demand of fruits in the United States Laxmi Paudel, Murali Adhikari, Jack Houston and Krishna P. Paudel 12. Demand for carbonated soft drinks: implications for obesity policy Rigoberto A. Lopez and Kristen L. Fantuzzi 13. Calories, obesity and health in OECD countries Mario Mazzocchi and W. Bruce Traill 14. The relationship between fast food and obesity Michael L. Marlow and Alden F. Shiers