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Decomposing cross-country differences in levels of obesity and overweight: Does the social environment matter?

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  • Font, Joan Costa
  • Fabbri, Daniele
  • Gil, Joan

Abstract

This paper examines the influence of environmental factors on weight gain and obesity. We take advantage of a markedly different pattern of obesity between Italy in Spain to undertake a non-linear decomposition analysis of differences in the prevalence of overweight and obesity between the two countries. The analysis is based on cross-sectional national surveys for 2003. We have attempted to isolate the influence of lifestyle factors, socio-economic and socio-environmental effects in explaining cross-country differences in BMI status. Our findings suggest that when the social environment (proxied by different measures of peer effects and regional BMI) is not controlled for, we explain about 27-42% of the overall Spain-to-Italy overweight and obesity gap. Differences in eating habits and education between the two countries are the main predictors of the gaps in obesity and overweight. However, when social environment is controlled for, our estimates explain between 76 and 92% of the obesity and overweight gap and the effect of eating habits are wiped out. These results suggest healthy body weight depends on cultural or environmental triggers that operate through individual level health production determinants.

Suggested Citation

  • Font, Joan Costa & Fabbri, Daniele & Gil, Joan, 2010. "Decomposing cross-country differences in levels of obesity and overweight: Does the social environment matter?," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 70(8), pages 1185-1193, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:socmed:v:70:y:2010:i:8:p:1185-1193
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    1. Costa-i-Font, Joan & Hernández-Quevedo, Cristina & Jiménez-Rubio, Dolores, 2012. "Do income gradients in unhealthy behaviours explain patterns of health inequalities?," LSE Research Online Documents on Economics 44302, London School of Economics and Political Science, LSE Library.
    2. Costa-Font, Joan & Mas, Núria, 2016. "‘Globesity’? The effects of globalization on obesity and caloric intake," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 64(C), pages 121-132.
    3. Raftopoulou, Athina, 2017. "Geographic determinants of individual obesity risk in Spain: A multilevel approach," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 24(C), pages 185-193.
    4. Danijel Nestic & Tomislav Vukina, 2020. "Examining the Prevalence of Obesity in Croatia: The Story of the Mediterranean Diet," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 22(3), pages 1-32.
    5. de la Rie, Sanneke & Washbrook, Elizabeth & Perinetti Casoni, Valentina & Waldfogel, Jane & Kwon, Sarah Jiyoon & Dräger, Jascha & Schneider, Thorsten & Olczyk, Melanie & Boinet, Césarine & Keizer, Ren, 2023. "The role of energy balance related behaviors in socioeconomic inequalities in childhood body mass index: A comparative analysis of Germany, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and the United States," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 317(C).
    6. Francesco Bimbo & Rosaria Viscecchia & Gianluca Nardone, 2013. "L?effetto della "filiera corta" sul livello di obesit? in Italia," Economia agro-alimentare, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 15(2), pages 97-110.
    7. Paolo Nicola Barbieri, 2022. "Social distortion in weight perception: a decomposition of the obesity epidemic," Economia Politica: Journal of Analytical and Institutional Economics, Springer;Fondazione Edison, vol. 39(2), pages 685-713, July.
    8. Paolo Nicola Barbieri, 2018. "BMI and Employment: Is There an Overweight Premium?," Italian Economic Journal: A Continuation of Rivista Italiana degli Economisti and Giornale degli Economisti, Springer;Società Italiana degli Economisti (Italian Economic Association), vol. 4(3), pages 523-548, November.
    9. Antonio Di Paolo & Joan Gil Trasfi & Athina Raftopoulou, 2018. "“What drives regional differences in BMI? Evidence from Spain”," IREA Working Papers 201808, University of Barcelona, Research Institute of Applied Economics, revised Oct 2018.
    10. Pampel, Fred C. & Denney, Justin T. & Krueger, Patrick M., 2012. "Obesity, SES, and economic development: A test of the reversal hypothesis," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 74(7), pages 1073-1081.
    11. Costa-Font, Joan & Gil, Joan, 2013. "Intergenerational and socioeconomic gradients of child obesity," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 93(C), pages 29-37.
    12. Donal O’Neill & Olive Sweetman, 2016. "Bounding obesity rates in the presence of self-reporting errors," Empirical Economics, Springer, vol. 50(3), pages 857-871, May.
    13. Costa-Font, Joan & Györi, Mario, 2020. "The weight of patriarchy? Gender obesity gaps in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA)," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 266(C).
    14. International Food Policy Research Institute, 2014. "Global Nutrition Report 2014: Actions and accountability to accelerate the world’s progress on nutrition," IFPRI books, International Food Policy Research Institute (IFPRI), number 978-0-89629-564-3.
    15. Costa-Font, Joan & Hernández-Quevedo, Cristina & Jiménez-Rubio, Dolores, 2014. "Income inequalities in unhealthy life styles in England and Spain," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 13(C), pages 66-75.
    16. Eduardo Rodríguez Oreggia & Ana Bertha Pérez Lizaur, 2010. "Factores de dinámica social asociados al índice de masa corporal en adultos en México," Estudios Económicos, El Colegio de México, Centro de Estudios Económicos, vol. 25(2), pages 337-362.
    17. Averett, Susan L. & Stacey, Nicholas & Wang, Yang, 2014. "Decomposing race and gender differences in underweight and obesity in South Africa," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 15(C), pages 23-40.
    18. Powell, Lisa M. & Wada, Roy & Krauss, Ramona C. & Wang, Youfa, 2012. "Ethnic disparities in adolescent body mass index in the United States: The role of parental socioeconomic status and economic contextual factors," Social Science & Medicine, Elsevier, vol. 75(3), pages 469-476.

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