Economics of Obesity: Poverty, Income Inequality, and Health

The book "The Economics of Obesity" explores the economic causes and consequences of obesity, including its impact on health, society, and the economy. It emphasizes the disproportionate burden of obesity on low-income individuals and suggests that economic policies are needed to address this issue. The second edition of the book includes a comprehensive examination of the influence of poverty and income inequality on obesity, including behavioral patterns, diet choice, and the role of government.

\n Format: Hardback
\n Length: 162 pages
\n Publication date: 21 August 2021
\n Publisher: Springer Nature Switzerland AG
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Much has been written about the economic causes of obesity, but this book offers a comprehensive and deep investigation of the causes and treatment of these issues in a single volume. In the second edition, the author expands upon the serious threat that obesity poses not only to our health, but also to our society. Obesity costs billions of dollars a year in lost productivity and medical expenses. 
The social distribution of obesity has changed over time. Obesity rates in the United States continue to worsen in parallel with income inequality. Socioeconomic groups with low personal capital, levels of education, and income have higher obesity rates. In fact, the rate of obesity has increased the fastest among low-income Americans. The disproportionate burden of obesity on the poor poses an economic challenge and an ethical imperative. The link between obesity, inactivity, and poverty may be too costly to ignore because obesity-associated chronic disease already accounts for 70% of US healthcare costs. Although economic and technological changes in the environment drove the obesity epidemic, the evidence for effective economic policies to prevent obesity remains limited.
The new edition brings together a multitude of topics on obesity previously not discussed with a particular emphasis on the influence of poverty and income inequality on obesity including:

• Economic Analysis: Behavioral Patterns, Diet Choice, and the Role of Government   
  
• Income and Wealth Inequality and Obesity  
  
• Social Mobility and Health
  
• Food Policies, Government Interventions, and Reducing Poverty    
  

\n Weight: 508g\n
Dimension: 160 x 241 x 18 (mm)\n
ISBN-13: 9783030784867\n
Edition number: 2nd ed. 2021\n