Working Paper: CEPR ID: DP11086
Authors: Rachel Griffith; Rodrigo Lluberas; Melanie Luhrmann
Abstract: The rise in obesity has largely been attributed to an increase in calorie consumption. We show that official government household survey data suggest that calories have declined in England from 1980 to 2013; while there has been an increase in calories from food out at restaurants, fast food, soft drinks and confectionery, overall there has been a decrease in total calories purchased. Households have shifted towards more expensive calories, both by substituting away from home production towards market production, and substituting towards higher quality foods. We show that this decline in calories can be rationalised with weight gain by the decline in the strenuousness of work and daily life.
Keywords: Nutrition; Obesity; Time Use
JEL Codes: I12
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| calorie consumption (D10) | weight gain (I15) |
| decline in strenuousness of work (J29) | weight gain (I15) |
| decline in calorie consumption from food at home (D18) | caloric imbalance (D59) |
| increase in calories consumed from eating out (D12) | caloric imbalance (D59) |
| increase in sedentary jobs (J29) | reduced energy expenditure (Q41) |
| reduced energy expenditure (Q41) | weight gain (I15) |