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Obesity, Income and Gender: The Changing Global Relationship

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  • Hannah Ameye
  • Johan 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 middleincome 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.

Suggested Citation

  • Hannah Ameye & Johan Swinnen, 2019. "Obesity, Income and Gender: The Changing Global Relationship," LICOS Discussion Papers 41519, LICOS - Centre for Institutions and Economic Performance, KU Leuven.
    • Handle: RePEc:lic:licosd:41519
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    File URL: https://feb.kuleuven.be/drc/licos/publications/dp/DP415
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    8. 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.
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    10. Beegle, Kathleen G. & Demombynes, Gabriel & de Walque, Damien B. C. M. & Gubbins, Paul Michael & Veillard, Jeremy, 2024. "COVID-19 Increased Existing Gender Mortality Gaps in High-Income Countries More Than in Middle-Income Countries," Policy Research Working Paper Series 10750, The World Bank.
    11. 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).
    12. Valentina Alvarez-Saavedra & Pierre Levasseur & Suneha Seetahul, 2023. "The Role of Gender Inequality in the Obesity Epidemic: A Case Study from India," Journal of Development Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 59(7), pages 980-996, July.
    13. 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.
    14. Elmira, Elza S. & Chichaibelu, Bezawit Beyene & Qaim, Matin, 2024. "Marriage customs and nutritional status of men and women," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 128(C).
    15. 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.
    16. 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.
    17. Hannah Ameye, 2023. "Dietary quality in rural areas, secondary towns, and cities: Insights from Tanzania," Food Security: The Science, Sociology and Economics of Food Production and Access to Food, Springer;The International Society for Plant Pathology, vol. 15(6), pages 1563-1584, December.
    18. Tafesse, Wiktoria & Hussain, Akseer & Suhrcke, Marc, 2025. "Women’s age at marriage and obesity in Pakistan," Economics & Human Biology, Elsevier, vol. 59(C).
    19. Viola Lamani & Sophie Drogué & Alexandre Ducrot & Philippe Terrieux & Zoé Colombet & Caroline Méjean, 2024. "Nutritional quality of food imports in Caribbean small islands. Evidence from the French West Indies," Review of Agricultural, Food and Environmental Studies, Springer, vol. 105(2), pages 275-298, November.
    20. 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).
    21. 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).
    22. Elmira, Elza S. & Beyene Chichaibelu, Bezawit & Qaim, Matin, 2024. "How kinship and marriage customs influence nutritional outcomes among males and females," Discussion Papers 341095, University of Bonn, Center for Development Research (ZEF).

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