The NBER ( National Bureau of Economic Research ) published an interesting article on the Economics of Obesity. Here's the article.
An excerpt:
The authors ask whether the relatively recent change in the proportion of severely overweight individuals suggests that environmental factors, not genetics, play a central
role in the increase in overweight. They note that technological change has reduced the amount of physical effort that people expend in their jobs, and that “the ready availability
of inexpensive restaurants has not only caused people to consume more, but has made them less active — less likely to prepare food at home or travel further distances to obtain a healthy meal.” The cigarette tax and smoking prohibition laws are included to account for the possibility that the increase in U.S. BMI may be related to the success of public health efforts to decrease smoking. When people quit smoking they often gain weight.
The authors ask whether the relatively recent change in the proportion of severely overweight individuals suggests that environmental factors, not genetics, play a central
role in the increase in overweight. They note that technological change has reduced the amount of physical effort that people expend in their jobs, and that “the ready availability
of inexpensive restaurants has not only caused people to consume more, but has made them less active — less likely to prepare food at home or travel further distances to obtain a healthy meal.” The cigarette tax and smoking prohibition laws are included to account for the possibility that the increase in U.S. BMI may be related to the success of public health efforts to decrease smoking. When people quit smoking they often gain weight.
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