Determining the impact of food price and income changes on body weight.
We develop a theoretical model to identify conditions under which price and income changes are most likely to change weight. Although it is intuitive that raising the price of high-calorie food will decrease consumption of such goods; it is not clear that such an outcome will actually reduce weight. Our empirical analysis demonstrates a case where a tax on food away from home, a food intake category blamed for much of the rise in obesity, could lead to an increase in body weight; a finding which emphasizes the need to employ economic modeling when developing public policy to reduce obesity.
Schroeter
Christiane
C
Arkansas State University, College of Agriculture, State University, AR 72467, USA. cschroeter@astate.edu
Lusk
Jayson
J
Tyner
Wallace
W
D001835:Body Weight; D002149:Energy Intake; D005502:Food / Q000191:economics*; D005523:Food Supply / Q000191:economics; D006801:Humans; D007182:Income; D017059:Models, Econometric; D012147:Restaurants; D013660:Taxes; D014481:United States