Essays on economic determinants of weight outcomes. Essay one: The effects of the Food Stamp Program and the minimum wage on obesity. Essay two: The effects of fast food television advertising on obesity.
Item
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Title
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Essays on economic determinants of weight outcomes. Essay one: The effects of the Food Stamp Program and the minimum wage on obesity. Essay two: The effects of fast food television advertising on obesity.
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Identifier
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AAI3144107
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identifier
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3144107
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Creator
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Kim, In Kyu.
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Contributor
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Adviser: Michael Grossman
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Date
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2004
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Language
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English
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Publisher
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City University of New York.
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Subject
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Economics, General | Health Sciences, Public Health
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Abstract
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This dissertation is motivated by the dramatic increase in the prevalence of obesity in the United States since 1980. According to the 1999--2000 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 64 percent of U.S. adults are either overweight or obese. Moreover, the percentage of the population classified as obese has more than doubled since 1980. This dissertation focuses on the impacts of policies that increase resources available to low-income households and on the impact of fast food advertising on weight outcomes. It consists of two essays.;The first essay investigates the effects of two important programs, the Food Stamp Program and the minimum wage, on obesity in low-income households. Results indicate that FSP participation curves the prevalence of obesity in the United States, while the state minimum wage has no causal effect on obesity. The effects of the Food Stamp Program on obesity in low-income households are large compared to the corresponding effects in non-low-income households. Evidence from the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance Survey (BRFSS) between 1993 and 2002 (a time series of state cross sections) contradicts the hypotheses that the body mass index and the prevalence of obesity are positively related to FSP participation or to minimum wage levels. These findings control for a variety of demographic characteristics, food prices, and state and year fixed effects. As a result of this study, my conclusion is that the increase in Food Stamp Program monthly benefits reduces the risks of obesity participating for low-income households.;The second essay attempts to examine the effects of television advertising for fast food restaurants on weight outcomes among television watching populations using the Behavioral Risk Factors Surveillance Survey (BRFSS). The units of analysis are Designated Market Area (DMA). As defined by Competitive Media Reporting (CMR), a DMA consists of the counties which make up a city's television viewing area with a high degree of economic and social integration through television. The data are arranged as pooled cross section and times series and include observations from 1996 through 1999 because the advertising measures are limited to that period. These measures were obtained from Competitive Media Reporting and pertain to spot television advertising for fast food restaurants. This essay investigates the impacts of the number of advertisements aired on body mass index (BMI) and obesity. The positive effects of fast food television advertising are small but significant.
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Type
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dissertation
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Source
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PQT Legacy CUNY.xlsx
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degree
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Ph.D.
