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Obesity and Risk Knowledge

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Abstract

Obesity is an epidemic health problem in many developed countries, and it is an emerging public health concern in developing, transitional, and newly-developed countries. The purpose of this research is to investigate the relationship between individuals' knowledge concerning the health risks of obesity and their tendency to be obese (as measured by the \body mass index"). Instead of assuming that obesity is a pure physiological problem as in previous studies, we allow an individual's cost/bene¯t evaluation to play a role. Based on survey data from Taiwan, we investigate the relationship with the quantile regression technique. The results suggest that such a relationship does exist and it is di®erent for males and females.

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  • Kamhon KAN & Wei-Der TSAI, 2004. "Obesity and Risk Knowledge," IEAS Working Paper : academic research 04-A002, Institute of Economics, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.
    • Handle: RePEc:sin:wpaper:04-a002
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    More about this item

    Keywords

    Obesity; Overweight; Risk Knowledge; Quantile Regression;

    JEL classification:

    • I12 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Health Behavior
    • I18 - Health, Education, and Welfare - - Health - - - Government Policy; Regulation; Public Health
    • C51 - Mathematical and Quantitative Methods - - Econometric Modeling - - - Model Construction and Estimation

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