Economic Aspects of Obesity.

• Position: Bureau Books

Economic Aspects of Obesity, edited by Michael Grossman and Naci Mocan, will be available this spring from the University of Chicago Press for $110.00.

Over the past thirty years, the number of obese adults in the United States has doubled; the number of obese children has nearly tripled. Economic analysis has shown that weight gain results from individual choices that respond to the economic environment, and that incentives can influence individual behaviors, which in turn will affect weight. Food prices, the availability of food outlets and recreational facilities, health insurance, and minimum wage levels all influence what we eat, whether we exercise, and how we...