Fast-food consumption and body weight. Evidence from the UK

This work examines the role of fast-food consumption on body weight in the United Kingdom, by means of two recent waves from the British Household Panel Survey. We use quantile regression to examine whether increases in consumption of this unhealthy food category affect differently individuals located at selected quantiles of the body mass index distribution. Our results support some findings in the literature, but also point to new conclusions. Quantile regression estimates suggest that fast-food consumption affects individuals with higher body mass index more heavily, especially women. Irrespective of gender, we also find a negative and significant correlation between the price of take-away meals and snacks and weight. Some policy implications are discussed on the basis of our main results.