Regional differences in overweight rates: The case of Italian regions

Southern regions in Italy are characterized by higher overweight rates than Northern and Central regions. This gap is higher for young males than for females. We fully account for the differences in overweight rates with a relatively parsimonious set of covariates, and show that the key factors accounting for these differences vary substantially by gender. There is a strong association between regional differences in educational attainment, labor market outcomes and overweight rates for females, and a strong association between regional differences in parental and peer BMI, the regional percentage of primary schools with a canteen and overweight rates for males.We are grateful to two anonymous referees and to Danilo Cavapozzi for help with the data. Financial support by Fondazione Cariparo is gratefully acknowledged. The usual disclaimer applies.

► Southern regions in Italy are characterized by higher overweight rates than Northern and Central regions. ► There is a strong association between regional differences in educational attainment, labor market outcomes and overweight rates for females. ► There is a strong association between regional differences in parental and peer BMI, the regional percentage of primary schools with a canteen and overweight rates for males.