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Obesity and fast food in urban markets: a new approach using geo‐referenced micro data

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  • Susan Elizabeth Chen
  • Raymond J. Florax
  • Samantha D. Snyder

Abstract

This paper presents a new method of assessing the relationship between features of the built environment and obesity, particularly in urban areas. Our empirical application combines georeferenced data on the location of fast‐food restaurants with data about personal health, behavioral, and neighborhood characteristics. We define a ‘local food environment’ for every individual utilizing buffers around a person's home address. Individual food landscapes are potentially endogenous because of spatial sorting of the population and food outlets, and the body mass index (BMI) values for individuals living close to each other are likely to be spatially correlated because of observed and unobserved individual and neighborhood effects. The potential biases associated with endogeneity and spatial correlation are handled using spatial econometric estimation techniques. Our application provides quantitative estimates of the effect of proximity to fast‐food restaurants on obesity in an urban food market. We also present estimates of a policy simulation that focuses on reducing the density of fast‐food restaurants in urban areas. In the simulations, we account for spatial heterogeneity in both the policy instruments and individual neighborhoods and find a small effect for the hypothesized relationships between individual BMI values and the density of fast‐food restaurants. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

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  • Susan Elizabeth Chen & Raymond J. Florax & Samantha D. Snyder, 2013. "Obesity and fast food in urban markets: a new approach using geo‐referenced micro data," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 22(7), pages 835-856, July.
    • Handle: RePEc:wly:hlthec:v:22:y:2013:i:7:p:835-856
    DOI: 10.1002/hec.2863
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    Cited by:

    1. Jackie Yenerall & Wen You & Jennie Hill, 2017. "Investigating the Spatial Dimension of Food Access," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(8), pages 1-15, August.
    2. Hamrick, Karen & Okrent, Abigail, 2014. "Timing is Everything: The Role of Time and the Business Cycle in Fast-Food Purchasing Behavior in the United States," 2014 Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2014, Minneapolis, Minnesota 170156, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    3. Samia Badji & Nicole Black & David W. Johnston, 2021. "Consequences of Greater Gambling Accessibility," Papers 2021-06, Centre for Health Economics, Monash University.
    4. Atanasova, Petya & Kusuma, Dian & Pineda, Elisa & Frost, Gary & Sassi, Franco & Miraldo, Marisa, 2022. "The impact of the consumer and neighbourhood food environment on dietary intake and obesity-related outcomes: A systematic review of causal impact studies," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 299(C).
    5. Okrent, Abigail & Kumcu, Aylin, 2014. "What’s Cooking? Demand for Convenience Foods in the United States," 2014 Annual Meeting, July 27-29, 2014, Minneapolis, Minnesota 170541, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    6. Hamrick, Karen & Okrent, Abigail, 2014. "The Role of Time in Fast-Food Purchasing Behavior in the United States," Economic Research Report 191034, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    7. Li, Xun & Wang, Rui, 2016. "Spatial Convergence of US Obesity Rates and Its Determinants," 2016 Annual Meeting, July 31-August 2, Boston, Massachusetts 235617, Agricultural and Applied Economics Association.
    8. Rahkovsky, Ilya & Snyder, Samantha, 2015. "Food Choices and Store Proximity," Economic Research Report 210316, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    9. Badji, Samia & Black, Nicole & Johnston, David W., 2023. "Economic, Health and Behavioural Consequences of Greater Gambling Availability," Economic Modelling, Elsevier, vol. 123(C).
    10. Kumcu, Aylin & Okrent, Abigail M ., 2014. "Methodology for the Quarterly Food-Away-From-Home Prices Data," Technical Bulletins 184292, United States Department of Agriculture, Economic Research Service.
    11. Kim, Ji-Il & Yu, Chia-Yuan & Woo, Ayoung, 2023. "The impacts of visual street environments on obesity: The mediating role of walking behaviors," Journal of Transport Geography, Elsevier, vol. 109(C).
    12. Fitzpatrick, Katie & Greenhalgh-Stanley, Nadia & Ver Ploeg, Michele, 2019. "Food deserts and diet-related health outcomes of the elderly," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 87(C), pages 1-1.
    13. Kristen Cooksey-Stowers & Marlene B. Schwartz & Kelly D. Brownell, 2017. "Food Swamps Predict Obesity Rates Better Than Food Deserts in the United States," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-20, November.
    14. Dolton, Peter J. & Tafesse, Wiktoria, 2022. "Childhood obesity, is fast food exposure a factor?," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 46(C).
    15. Loureiro, Maria L. & Rahmani, Djamel, 2016. "The incidence of calorie labeling on fast food choices: A comparison between stated preferences and actual choices," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 22(C), pages 82-93.
    16. Qian Yiwei & Thomsen Michael R. & Nayga Rodolfo M. & Rouse Heather L., 2017. "The Effect of Neighborhood Fast Food on Children’s BMI: Evidence from a Sample of Movers," The B.E. Journal of Economic Analysis & Policy, De Gruyter, vol. 17(4), pages 1-15, October.

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