ECONIS Select – Obesity, a subtle epidemic arouses interest in economists

11/2010

In 2010, more and more press releases covered the epidemic rise of obesity in the US and worldwide. What are the economic consequences? An overweight population is increasingly becoming a heavy burden on national health systems, especially in OECD countries. Unless countermeasures are taken, high healthcare expenditures caused by extreme obesity will threaten these states in the future.

In addition to the affected countries, many companies are also facing the challenge of adjusting their product policies to meet the needs of an overweight customer base. Thus, it was only a matter of time before obesity attracted greater levels of interest as a research topic not only in macroeconomics but also in business administration studies. Below is a small compilation of titles from the economic research world.

Web-Links:

• WHO - Controlling the global obesity epidemic (2008)

Literature selected from our database ECONIS:

• Article: Choose health in food vending machines: obesity prevention and healthy lifestyle promotion in Italy / Giuseppe Fattori, Paola Artoni, and Marcello Tedeschi
  In: Social marketing for public health. - Sudbury, Mass. [u.a.]: Jones and Bartlett, ISBN 978-0-7637-5797-7. - 2011, S. 149-169
  Keywords: Gesundheitsvorsorge / Körpergewicht / Ernährungsgewohnheit / Social Marketing / Automat / Italien
• Article: To sell or not to sell: overweight users' effect on fashion assortments / Ulf Aagerup
  In: The journal of brand management. - Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan, ISSN 1350-231X, ZDB-ID 20981326. - Bd. 18.2010/11, 1, S. 66-78
  Keywords: Bekleidungsindustrie / Produktpolitik / Zielgruppe / Körpergewicht / Schweden
• Title: The trend of BMI values by centiles of US adults, birth cohorts 1882 - 1986 / John Komlos; Marek Brabec
  Published: München: CESifo, 2010
  Series: CESifo working paper; 3132: Social Protection
  Keywords: Gesundheit / Körpergewicht / Geschichte / Industrialisierung / USA / 1882-1986
  Systemvoraussetzungen: Acrobat Reader
  Links:
  Download: 16.08.2010
  http://www.cesifo-group.de/DocCIDL/cesifo1_wp3132.pdf
• Article: Creative destruction, economic insecurity, stress, and epidemic obesity / by Jon D. Wisman and Kevin W. Capehart
  In: The American journal of economics and sociology. - Malden, Mass.: Wiley, ISSN 0002-9246, ZDB-ID 29361. - Bd. 69.2010, 3, S. 936-982
  Keywords: Körpergewicht / Stress / Ernährung / Kapitalismus / USA
• Title: Understanding overeating and obesity / Christopher J. Ruhm
  Published: Cambridge, Mass., 2010
  Series: NBER working paper series; 16149
  Keywords: Lebensstandard / Nahrungsmittelpreis / Verhalten / Ernährungsgewohnheit / Körpergewicht / USA / 1960-2006
  Signatory: W 1 (16149)
  Link: http://www.nber.org/papers/w16149.pdf
• Article: Feeding the economics of obesity in the EU in a healthy way / Fernando Antonanzas; Roberto Rodríguez
  In: The European journal of health economics. - Berlin: Springer, ISSN 1618-7598, ZDB-ID 20452536. - Bd. 11.2010, 4, S. 351-353
  Keywords: Körpergewicht / Gesundheitsrisiko / EU-Staaten
• Article: Might an overweight waitress make you eat more?: how the body type of others is sufficient to alter our food consumption / Brent McFerran; Darren W. Dahl; Gavan J. Fitzsimons; Andrea C. Morales
  In: Journal of consumer psychology. - Amsterdam [u.a.]: Elsevier, ISSN 1057-7408, ZDB-ID 11095295. - Bd. 20.2010, 2, S. 146-151
  Keywords: Ernährungsgewohnheit / Körpergewicht / Sozialpsychologie
• Article: Can soft drink taxes reduce population weight? / Jason M. Fletcher, David Frisvold and Nathan Tefft
  In: Contemporary economic policy. - Huntington Beach, Calif.: Blackwell Publishing, ISSN 0735-0007, ZDB-ID 11828006. - Bd. 28.2010, 1, S. 23-35
  Keywords: Erfrischungsgetränk / Steuer / Körpergewicht / Gesundheitspolitik / USA / 1990-2006
• Title: The trend of mean BMI values of US adults, birth cohorts 1882 - 1986 indicates that the obesity epidemic began earlier than hitherto thought / John Komlos; Marek Brabec
  Published: Cambridge, Mass., 2010
  Series: NBER working paper series; 15862
  Keywords: Gesundheit / Körpergewicht / Geschichte / Industrialisierung / USA / 1882-1986
  Signatory: W 1 (15862)
  
• Article: The rise of obesity in transition: theory and empirical evidence from Russia / Sonya K. Huffman & Marian Rizov
  In: The journal of development studies. - Abingdon, Oxfordshire: Routledge, ISSN 0022-0388, ZDB-ID 30181. - Bd. 46.2010, 3, S. 574-594
  Keywords: Ernährungsgewohnheit / Gesundheit / Körpergewicht / Systemtransformation / Schätzung / Russland
• Article: Taxation and obesity? / John Freebairn
  In: The Australian economic review. - Richmond, Vic.: Blackwell Publ. Asia, ISSN 0004-9018, ZDB-ID 8626844. - Bd. 43.2010, 1 (Mar.)=Nr.169, S. 54-62
  Keywords: Gesundheitsreform / Marktversagen / Körpergewicht / Steuer / Theorie
• Article: The impact of international trade and investment rules on the ability of governments to implement interventions to address obesity: a case study of the European Charter on counteracting obesity / David P. Fidler
  In: Trade, food, diet and health. - Chichester, West Sussex [u.a.]
  Keywords: Nahrungsmittelmarkt / Ernährungspolitik / Gesundheitspolitik / Ernährungsgewohnheit / Körpergewicht / Funktionelle Lebensmittel / Lebensmittelhandel / Außenwirtschaft / EU-Politik / EU-Staaten
• Article: Tackling childhood obesity in an era of trade liberalisation / Tim Lobstein
  In: Trade, food, diet and health. - Chichester, West Sussex [u.a.]
  Keywords: Ernährungspolitik / Gesundheitspolitik / Funktionelle Lebensmittel / Lebensmittelhandel / Kinder / Ernährungsgewohnheit / Körpergewicht / Welt
• Article: Public health and moral panic: sociological perspectives on the "epidemic of obesity" / Stewart Lockie and Susan Williams
  In: Food security, nutrition and sustainability. - London [u.a.]: Earthscan, ISBN 978-1-8440-7775-5. - 2010, S. 145-161
  Keywords: Nahrungsmittelgewerbe / Nahrungsmittelversorgung / Ernährung / Ernährungsgewohnheit / Körpergewicht / Welt
• Title: Corporate Social Responsibility - Adipositas als Herausforderung für Nahrungsmittelhersteller: Marketingmaßnahmen zwischen Gewinn und Gewissen / Christina Stötzel
  Published: Hamburg: Kovač, 2010
  Series: Schriftenreihe strategisches Management; 90
  Keywords: Corporate Social Responsibility / Körpergewicht / Marketingpolitik / Produktpolitik / Nahrungsmittelgewerbe / Deutschland
  Links:
  http://www.verlagdrkovac.de/978-3-8300-4904-3.htm
  Table of contents
  Signatory: A10-1397
• Article: Reconciling psychology with economics: obesity, behavioral biology, and rational overeating / Trenton G. Smith
  In: Journal of bioeconomics. - Dordrecht [u.a.]: Springer, ISSN 1387-6996, ZDB-ID 14387347. - Bd. 11.2009, 3, S. 249-282
  Keywords: Neuroökonomie / Psychologie / Nahrungsmittelkonsum / Körpergewicht / Rauchen / Rationales Verhalten / Bioökonomik
• Title: The role of uncertainty on US obesity: an application of control theory / Pedro Gomis Porqueras
  Published: Canberra: ANU College of Business & Economics, 2009
  Series: Working papers in economics and econometrics / ANU College of Business & Economics ; 506
  Keywords: Körpergewicht / Konsumentenverhalten / Freizeitverhalten / USA / Kontrolltheorie
  Link:
  http://nla.gov.au/nla.arc-13325-20100813- 0011-www.cbe.anu.edu.au/research/papers/pdf/wp506.pdf
• Article: Socioeconomic, health and behavioural determinants of obesity in Europe / Agelike Nikolaou & Dimitrios Nikolaou
  In: Review of applied economics. - New Delhi: Serials Publ., ISSN 0973-1687, ZDB-ID 24673651. - Bd. 5.2009, 1/2, S. 83-97
  Keywords: Körpergewicht / Panel / EU-Staaten
• Article: A rational eating model of binges, diets and obesity / Davide Dragone
  In: Journal of health economics. - Amsterdam [u.a.]: Elsevier, ISSN 0167-6296, ZDB-ID 6257975. - Bd. 28.2009, 4, S. 799-804
  Keywords: Nahrungsmittelkonsum / Konsumentenverhalten / Körpergewicht / Funktionelle Lebensmittel / Theorie
• Title: Effects of urban sprawl on obesity / Zhenxiang Zhao; Robert Kaestner
  Published: Cambridge, Mass., 2009
  Series: NBER working paper series; 15436
  Keywords: Bevölkerungsdichte / Stadtregion / Verkehrsinfrastruktur / Ernährungsgewohnheit / Körpergewicht / USA / 1970-2000
  Signatory: W 1 (15436)
  Link: http://www.nber.org/papers/w15436.pdf
• Article: Warum hat der "homo oeconomicus" Übergewicht?: Nahrungsmittelmarketing und Essverhalten aus der Sicht der Verhaltensökonomie / Markus F. Hofreither
  In: Was wir morgen essen werden. - Wien: facultas.wuv, ISBN 978-3-7089-0402-3. - 2009, S. 33-47
  Keywords: Nahrungsmittel / Marketing / Nahrungsmittelkonsum / Körpergewicht / Rationales Verhalten / Verhaltensökonomik

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