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Economic Insecurity and the Weight Gain of Canadian Adults: A Natural Experiment Approach

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  • Barry Watson
  • Lars Osberg
  • Shelley Phipps

Abstract

Using four cycles of longitudinal National Population Health Survey (NPHS) data from 1994 to 2001, we examine whether increasing economic insecurity causes weight gain and obesity. In July 1996, Bill C-12 reduced Canadian unemployment insurance benefits considerably, arguably increasing the economic insecurity of Canadians exposed to unemployment risk. Using a difference-in-difference methodology, this paper compares the change in weight gain of adults 25 to 64 before and after this policy shift. For poorly educated males, the onset of unemployment in the post-policy change era is predicted to increase their body mass index (BMI) by 3.2 points.

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  • Barry Watson & Lars Osberg & Shelley Phipps, 2016. "Economic Insecurity and the Weight Gain of Canadian Adults: A Natural Experiment Approach," Canadian Public Policy, University of Toronto Press, vol. 42(2), pages 115-131, June.
    • Handle: RePEc:cpp:issued:v:42:y:2016:i:2:p:115-131
    DOI: 10.3138/cpp.2015-064
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    Cited by:

    1. Trenton G. Smith & Steven Stillman & Stuart Craig, 2024. "“Rational overeating” in a feast‐or‐famine world: Economic insecurity and the obesity epidemic," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 90(3), pages 634-655, January.
    2. Lars Osberg, 2018. "Full Employment in Canada in the early 21st Century," Working Papers daleconwp2018-02, Dalhousie University, Department of Economics.
    3. Nancy Kong & Lars Osberg & Weina Zhou, 2018. "The Shattered “Iron Rice Bowl”— Intergenerational Effects of Economic Insecurity During Chinese State- Owned Enterprise Reform," Working Papers daleconwp2018-01, Dalhousie University, Department of Economics.
    4. Lars Osberg, 2021. "Economic Insecurity and Well-being," Working Papers daleconwp2021-01, Dalhousie University, Department of Economics.
    5. Işıl Şirin Selçuk & Altuğ Murat Köktaş & Şükrü Anıl Toygar, 2023. "Socioeconomic factors affecting the probability of obesity: evidence from a nationwide survey in Turkey," Quality & Quantity: International Journal of Methodology, Springer, vol. 57(1), pages 239-255, February.
    6. Watson, Barry & Osberg, Lars, 2017. "Healing and/or breaking? The mental health implications of repeated economic insecurity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 188(C), pages 119-127.
    7. Kong, Nancy & Osberg, Lars & Zhou, Weina, 2019. "The shattered “Iron Rice Bowl”: Intergenerational effects of Chinese State-Owned Enterprise reform," Journal of Health Economics, Elsevier, vol. 67(C).
    8. Kong, Nancy & Phipps, Shelley & Watson, Barry, 2021. "Parental economic insecurity and child health," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 43(C).
    9. Watson, Barry & Daley, Angela & Rohde, Nicholas & Osberg, Lars, 2020. "Blown off-course? Weight gain among the economically insecure during the great recession," Journal of Economic Psychology, Elsevier, vol. 80(C).

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