Health & Healthcare in America: From Economics to Policy

June 22 - 25, 2014

Economic Factors Affecting Diet and Obesity

This session explores three possible economic contributors to obesity. Catherine Maclean presents a paper on whether graduating from school during a recession leads to worse later-life health outcomes, including obesity. John Cawley presents results from a field study that increased the price of non-nutritious relative to nutritious foods with the goal of improving diets. Finally, Joe Sabia presents research on the extent to which medical marijuana laws have the unintended consequence of worsening diets and raising BMI. Together, these represent a cohesive session on possible economic contributors to diet and obesity in the U.S.