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Economic growth and obesity: findings of an Obesity Kuznets curve

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  • Anca M. Grecu
  • Kurt W. Rotthoff

Abstract

Simon Kuznets' (1955) hypothesis that as a country develops, a natural cycle develops where inequality first increases, then decreases, has become known as the Kuznets curve. This pattern has also been applied to the environment, an 'Environmental Kuznets curve', showing that as development occurs, pollution first increases; then decreases because people value clean air. We expand the Kuznets curve to an 'Obesity Kuznets curve'; as incomes rise, resources become available to buy more food. As such, people consume more calories and obesity rates increase. However, as incomes continue to rise, personal health becomes a more valued asset and people decrease their obesity levels (increasing their health levels). We find evidence of an Obesity Kuznets curve for white females. In addition, we find that as income inequality increases, obesity rates fall.

Suggested Citation

  • Anca M. Grecu & Kurt W. Rotthoff, 2015. "Economic growth and obesity: findings of an Obesity Kuznets curve," Applied Economics Letters, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 22(7), pages 539-543, May.
    • Handle: RePEc:taf:apeclt:v:22:y:2015:i:7:p:539-543
    DOI: 10.1080/13504851.2014.955251
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    Cited by:

    1. Spiteri, Jonathan & von Brockdorff, Philip, 2019. "Economic development and health outcomes: Evidence from cardiovascular disease mortality in Europe," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 224(C), pages 37-44.
    2. Mazhar, Ummad & Rehman, Fahd, 2022. "Productivity, obesity, and human capital: Panel data evidence," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 44(C).
    3. Mucahit Aydin, 2019. "The effect of economic growth on obesity for the most obese countries: new evidence from the obesity Kuznets curve," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 20(9), pages 1349-1358, December.
    4. Antonakakis, Nikolaos & Collins, Alan, 2018. "A suicidal Kuznets curve?," Economics Letters, Elsevier, vol. 166(C), pages 90-93.
    5. Brinda Viswanathan & Archana Agnihotri, 2020. "Double Burden of Malnutrition in India: Decadal Changes among Adult Men and Women," Working Papers 2020-200, Madras School of Economics,Chennai,India.
    6. Nathalie Mathieu-Bolh & Ronald Wendner, 2021. "Conspicuous leisure, time allocation, and obesity Kuznets curves," Graz Economics Papers 2021-09, University of Graz, Department of Economics.
    7. Sukati, Mphumuzi, 2018. "National Income and Malnutrition in Africa: a Rapid Assessment," MPRA Paper 89403, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    8. Ehmke, Mariah D. & Restrepo, Brandon J., 2023. "COVID-19 Working Paper: Obesity Prevalence Among U.S. Adult Subpopulations During the First Year of the COVID-19 Pandemic," Administrative Publications 340802, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    9. Yang Liu & Yanan Ma & Nan Jiang & Shenzhi Song & Qian Fan & Deliang Wen, 2018. "Interaction between Parental Education and Household Wealth on Children’s Obesity Risk," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(8), pages 1-12, August.
    10. Saadet Kasman & Adnan Kasman, 2021. "Convergence in obesity and overweight rates across OECD countries: evidence from the stochastic and club convergence tests," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 61(2), pages 1063-1096, August.
    11. Nathalie Mathieu‐Bolh, 2022. "The elusive link between income and obesity," Journal of Economic Surveys, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 36(4), pages 935-968, September.
    12. Joan Costa-Font & Cristina Hernandez-Quevedo & Azusa Sato, 2018. "A Health ‘Kuznets’ Curve’? Cross-Sectional and Longitudinal Evidence on Concentration Indices’," Social Indicators Research: An International and Interdisciplinary Journal for Quality-of-Life Measurement, Springer, vol. 136(2), pages 439-452, April.
    13. Andrew Adewale Alola & Festus Victor Bekun, 2021. "Obesity Kuznets curve and the reality of eco-income ellipsoids (EIE)," The European Journal of Health Economics, Springer;Deutsche Gesellschaft für Gesundheitsökonomie (DGGÖ), vol. 22(7), pages 1095-1101, September.
    14. Pata, Ugur Korkut & Aydin, Mucahit & Haouas, Ilham, 2021. "Are natural resources abundance and human development a solution for environmental pressure? Evidence from top ten countries with the largest ecological footprint," Resources Policy, Elsevier, vol. 70(C).
    15. Xiaomei Gan & Xu Wen & Yijuan Lu & Kehong Yu, 2019. "Economic Growth and Cardiorespiratory Fitness of Children and Adolescents in Urban Areas: A Panel Data Analysis of 27 Provinces in China, 1985–2014," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-10, October.
    16. Mathieu-Bolh, Nathalie & Wendner, Ronald, 2020. "We are what we eat: Obesity, income, and social comparisons," European Economic Review, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    17. María A. González-Álvarez & Angelina Lázaro-Alquézar & María Blanca Simón-Fernández, 2020. "Global Trends in Child Obesity: Are Figures Converging?," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(24), pages 1-20, December.
    18. Khusaini, & Remi, Sutyastie Soemitro & Fahmi, Mohamad & Purnagunawan, R. Muhamad, 2020. "Measuring the Inequality in Education: Educational Kuznets Curve," Jurnal Ekonomi Malaysia, Faculty of Economics and Business, Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia, vol. 54(3), pages 59-76.
    19. Debabrata Talukdar & Satheesh Seenivasan & Adrian J Cameron & Gary Sacks, 2020. "The association between national income and adult obesity prevalence: Empirical insights into temporal patterns and moderators of the association using 40 years of data across 147 countries," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 15(5), pages 1-17, May.
    20. Nagano, Hitoshi & Puppim de Oliveira, Jose A. & Barros, Allan Kardec & Costa Junior, Altair da Silva, 2020. "The ‘Heart Kuznets Curve’? Understanding the relations between economic development and cardiac conditions," World Development, Elsevier, vol. 132(C).

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