Regional obesity determinants in the United States: a model of myopic addictive behavior in food consumption

Miljković, Dragan; Nganje, William E.

doi:10.1111/j.1574-0862.2008.00307.x

Cited by 27 publications

(19 citation statements)

References 30 publications

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“…Recently, two additional studies drew on the individual‐level BRFSS data that were merged with county‐level price data obtained from the USDA on sugar, potatoes, and whole milk to examine associations between current prices and overweight and obesity prevalence within a rational addiction model that controlled for historical and future prices (Miljkovic, Nganje, and de Chastenet 2008) and using a myopic addiction model that controlled historical prices (Miljkovic and Nganje 2008). In the first study, which included future prices, the authors found that individuals' weight was significantly negatively associated with the current price of sweet foods but that a future increase in the price of sweet foods was not associated with a current reduction in weight.…”

Section: Review Of Empirical Evidence For Prices and Weight Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In the first study, which included future prices, the authors found that individuals' weight was significantly negatively associated with the current price of sweet foods but that a future increase in the price of sweet foods was not associated with a current reduction in weight. In their second study, the authors argued that the myopic model was more appropriate and that such addicts were unable to exhibit self‐control or rationalize their behavior and were unlikely to be able to predict changes in future prices and adjust their consumption (Miljkovic and Nganje 2008). The results from this study showed that a one‐dollar increase in the current price of sugar (the addictive food product) was associated with a 0.20 and 0.33 percentage point reduction in the probability of overweight and obesity, respectively.…”

Section: Review Of Empirical Evidence For Prices and Weight Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Food Prices and Obesity: Evidence and Policy Implications for Taxes and Subsidies

2009

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Context: Pricing policies have been posited as potential policy instruments to address the increasing prevalence of obesity. This article examines whether altering the cost of unhealthy, energy-dense foods, compared with healthy, lessdense foods through the use of fiscal pricing (tax or subsidy) policy instruments would, in fact, change food consumption patterns and overall diet enough to significantly reduce individuals' weight outcomes. Methods:This article examined empirical evidence regarding the food and restaurant price sensitivity of weight outcomes based on a literature search to identify peer-reviewed English-language articles published between 1990 and 2008. Studies were identified from the Medline, PubMed, Econlit, and PAIS databases. The fifteen search combinations used the terms obesity, body mass index, and BMI each in combination with the terms price, prices, tax, taxation, and subsidy. Findings:The studies reviewed showed that when statistically significant associations were found between food and restaurant prices (taxes) and weight outcomes, the effects were generally small in magnitude, although in some cases they were larger for low-socioeconomic status (SES) populations and for those at risk for overweight or obesity. Conclusions:The limited existing evidence suggests that small taxes or subsidies are not likely to produce significant changes in BMI or obesity prevalence but that nontrivial pricing interventions may have some measurable effects on Americans' weight outcomes, particularly for children and adolescents, I ncreasing poor dietary behaviors, the related rise in obesity rates, and estimated obesity-related medical expenditures have raised the question of whether food taxes and/or subsidies could be used as policy instruments to curb the obesity public health crisis ( The idea of using pricing policies to address obesity is to change the price of unhealthy, energy-dense foods relative to that of more healthy, less-dense foods, which, in turn, is expected to shift consumption patterns toward a more healthful diet and a healthier weight outcome. The question at hand is whether changes in food prices will alter dietary intake enough to have significant measurable effects on weight outcomes.Americans consume too much dietary fat and sugar and not enough fruits and vegetables, and their intake of micronutrients does not satisfy dietary recommendations (Fox et al. 2001;Gidding et al. 2006; KrebsSmith et al. 1996;Lin, Guthrie, and Frazão 2001;McDowell et al. 1994;Munoz et al. 1997;Pesa and Turner 2001). The intake of fats, snacks, sugar-rich foods, soft drinks, and fast foods is found to be associated with greater energy intake, higher body mass index (BMI), and obesity based on cross-sectional studies, prospective cohort studies, and feeding trials ( Food taxes in the United States are currently imposed mainly on such categories of food as soft drinks, candy, and snacks, the revenue from which in most jurisdictions goes into the general treasury (Chriqui et al. 2008). Similarly, a number ...

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Section: Review Of Empirical Evidence For Prices and Weight Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Review Of Empirical Evidence For Prices and Weight Outcomesmentioning

confidence: 99%

Food Prices and Obesity: Evidence and Policy Implications for Taxes and Subsidies

2009

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“…With the current trend of obesity, 50 percent of the US population will be obese in 2030 [3]. According to many studies, diabetes (type II), heart disease, hypertension, cancer, diabetes, asthma, and some psychological disorders link to obesity [4][5][6]. Obesity increases the risk of premature mortality [7] and is associated with nearly 300,000 annual deaths in the United States [5].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Economics of adult obesity and diabetes in Appalachia

Herath¹,

Brown²,

Hill³

2013

Health

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Obesity and diabetes are major health problems in the United States. The primary aim of this study is to examine the association between obesity and diabetes and to estimate the cost of diabetes linked to obesity in the Appalachian region. A system of simultaneous equations approach, and a logit estimation are employed for the analyses. Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) surveys for 2001 and 2009 are the main sources of data. Both county-level and individual-level data are used for the analyses. The simultaneous approach at county-level based on the changes of income, employment, obesity, and diabetes reveals that obesity increases diabetes, but diabetes does not have an effect on obesity. The counties with high initial levels of obesity had less obesity growth but more diabetes growth. Increasing income impacts negatively on diabetes growth. Logit analysis indicates that obesity significantly increases the risk of diabetes of adults' in Appalachia. Besides, being employed, higher income, as well as engaging in exercise reduce the prevalence of diabetes, while age increases diabetes. The economic cost of obesity-related diabetes is $1.9 billion, and can be reduced through mitigating obesity.

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“…One exception is the study by Miljkovic and Nganje (2008) that shows that a $1 increase in the price of sugar is 8 Experience with tobacco tax regulation further underscores the power of price changes to influence purchasing behavior and, ultimately, public health (Gruber 2002). …”

Section: Price Interventionsmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Rise of Noncommunicable Diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean: Challenges for Public Health Policies

2015

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Abstract:The health landscape in Latin America and the Caribbean is changing quickly.The region is undergoing a demographic and epidemiological transition in which health problems are highly concentrated on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). In light of this, the region faces two main challenges: (1) develop cost-effective policies to prevent NCD risk factors, and (2) increase access to quality healthcare in a scenario in which a large share of the labor force is employed in the informal sector. This paper describes both alternative interventions to expand health insurance coverage and their tradeoff with labor informality and moral hazard problems. The paper also focuses on obesity as a case example of a NCD, and emphasizes how lack of knowledge along with self-control problems would lead people to make suboptimal decisions related to food consumption, which may later manifest in obesity problems. Keywords IntroductionThe developing world, and in particular Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC), has experienced both a secular decline in mortality and significant improvements in the health of its population over the last 200 years. As we start the 21st century, a key observation is that the pattern and nature of mortality and morbidity has changed over recent decades and continues changing today. Health systems in developing countries are facing major challenges mainly because of growing epidemiological diversity as a consequence of economic development, technological change in medicine, and population aging.Although LAC is not completely free of infectious diseases, is well advanced in its demographic and epidemiological transitions, with health problems highly concentrated on noncommunicable diseases (NCDs). People in the region are equally likely to die prematurely from just one NCD than from all communicable diseases combined. Half of years of life lost in the region, as well as the leading causes of mortality and morbidity, are attributable to NCDs (Anderson et al. 2009). Furthermore, there is little doubt that the levels of NCDs will substantially increase in the near future. It is predicted that by 2020, NCDs will cause 7 of every 10 deaths in developing countries (Boutayeb 2006). Two of the factors believed to be central drivers of this trend are aging populations and the stark and simultaneous increase in rates of obesity worldwide (WHO 2013a).NCDs, which are characterized by shared risk factors, multi-morbidity, and chronicity, pose several challenges for the organization of healthcare. In order to address these challenges, policymakers must define a health policy frontier that identifies the primary interventions according to current health priorities. Taking into account where LAC stands in term of both its demographic and ezpidemiological transition, the health 3 policy frontier in the region must include (1) public health policies that reduce the risk factors that cause NCDs by promoting healthy behavior; and (2) health insurance programs that offer households access to quality healthcare at costs t...

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Regional obesity determinants in the United States: a model of myopic addictive behavior in food consumption

Cited by 27 publications

References 30 publications

Food Prices and Obesity: Evidence and Policy Implications for Taxes and Subsidies

Food Prices and Obesity: Evidence and Policy Implications for Taxes and Subsidies

Economics of adult obesity and diabetes in Appalachia

The Rise of Noncommunicable Diseases in Latin America and the Caribbean: Challenges for Public Health Policies

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