Working Paper: NBER ID: w11584
Authors: Inas Rashad; Michael Grossman; Shinyi Chou
Abstract: The increased prevalence of obesity in the United States stresses the pressing need for answers as to why this rapid rise has occurred. This paper employs micro-level data from the First, Second, and Third National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys to determine the effects that various state-level variables have on body mass index and obesity. These variables, which include the per capita number of restaurants, the gasoline tax, the cigarette tax, and clean indoor air laws, display many of the expected effects on obesity and explain a substantial amount of its trend. These findings control for individual-level measures of household income, years of formal schooling completed, and marital status.
Keywords: Body Mass Index; Obesity; Economic Factors; Public Health
JEL Codes: I10; I12
Edges that are evidenced by causal inference methods are in orange, and the rest are in light blue.
| Cause | Effect |
|---|---|
| per capita number of restaurants (L83) | caloric intake (D10) |
| caloric intake (D10) | BMI (I12) |
| smoking (L66) | weight control mechanism (E61) |
| reduced smoking rates (I12) | increased obesity (I14) |
| per capita number of restaurants (L83) | obesity rates (I14) |
| higher cigarette taxes (H29) | female BMI (C46) |