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Obesity, income and gender: the changing global relationship

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  • Hannah Ameye
  • Jo Swinnen

Abstract

Obesity is considered one of the major health concerns of the 21st century and is frequently associated with economic development. This paper reviews evidence on internal (within countries) and external (across countries) relationships between obesity, income and gender. Obesity changes with income, but in a non-linear way. On average, obesity increases with income in poor countries, has no relationship with income in middle-income countries and decreases with income for rich countries. Within countries, obesity is concentrated among richer groups in low-income countries and evenly distributed in middle-income countries. In high-income countries, the poor are the most obese. The relationship differs for men and women. Women are more obese in low-income countries and much more obese in middle-income countries. The gender obesity gap disappears in high-income economies. The geographic concentration of obesity also changes with income growth: from urban areas in poor countries to rural areas in rich countries. Despite these patterns, total obesity rates continue to increase in all countries, and for the world as a whole.

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  • Hannah Ameye & Jo Swinnen, 2019. "Obesity, income and gender: the changing global relationship," Working Papers of Department of Economics, Leuven 649035, KU Leuven, Faculty of Economics and Business (FEB), Department of Economics, Leuven.
  • Handle: RePEc:ete:ceswps:649035
    Note: paper number DP 415_2019
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    Cited by:

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    2. Inge van den Bijgaart & David Klenert & Linus Mattauch & Simona Sulikova, 2024. "Healthy climate, healthy bodies: Optimal fuel taxation and physical activity," Economica, London School of Economics and Political Science, vol. 91(361), pages 93-122, January.
    3. Neelam H. Ahmed & Mary L. Greaney & Steven A. Cohen, 2022. "Moderation of the Association between Primary Language and Health by Race and Gender: An Intersectional Approach," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 19(13), pages 1-12, June.
    4. OGUNMODEDE, Adewale Moses & OMONONA, Bolarin Titus, 2020. "Food As Medicine: Food Consumption Patterns And Reported Illnesses Among Households," Review of Agricultural and Applied Economics (RAAE), Faculty of Economics and Management, Slovak Agricultural University in Nitra, vol. 23(2), October.
    5. Robinovich, Jossiana & Bosma, Hans & Borne, Bart van der & Ossa, Ximena & Muñoz, Sergio & Krumeich, Anja, 2021. "Is a ‘culture of plus-size women’ the independent effect of neighborhood disadvantage on female BMI? A cross-sectional study in two Chilean Municipalities," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 280(C).
    6. Valentina Alvarez-Saavedra & Pierre Levasseur & Suneha Seetahul, 2022. "The role of gender inequality in the obesity epidemic: A case study from India," Working Papers hal-03744694, HAL.
    7. Yu Xin & Xiaohui Ren, 2020. "Social Capital as a Mediator through the Effect of Education on Depression and Obesity among the Elderly in China," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 17(11), pages 1-12, June.
    8. Marcela Tamayo-Ortiz & Martha María Téllez-Rojo & Stephen J. Rothenberg & Ivan Gutiérrez-Avila & Allan Carpenter Just & Itai Kloog & José Luis Texcalac-Sangrador & Martin Romero-Martinez & Luis F. Bau, 2021. "Exposure to PM 2.5 and Obesity Prevalence in the Greater Mexico City Area," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(5), pages 1-11, February.
    9. Muhammad Fikru Rizal & Nicole Black & David W. Johnston & Rohan Sweeney, 2023. "Long‐term health effects of a school construction program," Health Economics, John Wiley & Sons, Ltd., vol. 32(8), pages 1670-1688, August.
    10. Van den Broeck, Goedele & Mardulier, Myrthe & Maertens, Miet, 2021. "All that is gold does not glitter: Income and nutrition in Tanzania," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 99(C).
    11. Daran, Bertille & Levasseur, Pierre, 2022. "Is overweight still a problem of rich in sub-Saharan Africa? Insights based on female-oriented demographic and health surveys," World Development Perspectives, Elsevier, vol. 25(C).

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