6th Biennial Conference of the American Society of Health Economists

June 12 - 15, 2016

The Economics of Food Choice and Obesity

Obesity remains an urgent public health problem in the U.S. and many other countries worldwide. This session consists of three papers on the topic of the economics of food choice and obesity. First, Harding presents a paper that examines the food purchasing behavior of low-income households and households that differ in observable health. Second, Rusty Tchernis presents a paper that estimates the effect of the SNAP program on obesity. Finally, Chuck Courtemanche presents on the impact of calorie label laws on BMI.