The Economics of Lifestyles, Obesity and Nutrition

Importance of Topic and Anticipated Contribution

An increasingly important share of health care expenditure and demand is determined by individual choices. Lifestyle choices associated with food, smoking and drinking can explain an increasing role of health systems activity. However, more needs to be known to inform policy making about the economics grounded policy regarding health related lifestyles more generally, and obesity and nutrition more specifically.

The determinants of health related lifestyles and obesity are multiple and complex. On the one hand, lifestyle choices result from genetic or physiological factors which explain variability in body weight. Calories expended at work, doing home chores and at active leisure are important determinants of the individual’s body mass. Other influential factors beyond the individual’s control are: changes in relative prices, reductions in the time costs of preparing meals, unemployment and strenuous occupations. On the other hand, it is well recognized that lifestyles (e.g. physical activity or smoking) play a relevant role in the evolution of obesity. Certainly, health problems such as obesity are largely related to an “obesogenic” environment that promotes excessive caloric food intake and discourages physical activity in multiple ways.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the impact of the obesity epidemic on non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, and cancer, threatens health systems. Studies have confirmed that a significant burden of the ‘obesity epidemic’ comes through its incidence on chronic illnesses. The health consequences range from increased risk of premature death to serious chronic conditions that reduce overall quality of life and cause sizeable health-care costs. In economic terms, the effect of obesity on the prevalence of chronic illness can be envisaged as a compound feature of other health care inputs, rather than a single negative input into health.

This special issue of AEPP attempts to address an array of questions, including the role of health information.

Guest editors

Professor Ted McDonald (Professor of Economics at the University of New Brunswick, Canada)

Dr Cristina Hernández-Quevedo (Research Fellow at the London School of Economics and European Observatory of Health Systems & Policies, UK)

Dr Jayachandran Variyam (Chief of the Diet, Safety, and Health Economics Branch, Food Economics Division, Economic Research Service, USDA)

Coverage of topics

The special issue could include contributions in the following areas:

* Economics of prevention
* Health information and the demand for health
* Health lifestyles choices
* Social motivation and health
* Social environment and health
* The economics of exercise

Submitting papers

Submissions should be electronically submitted and emailed to the guest editors at:

• tedmcdon@unb.ca
• c.hernandez-quevedo@lse.ac.uk
• jvariyam@ers.usda.gov

Time Frame for Producing the Issue

Deadline for paper submission is 15 March 2012.

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