Article ID | Journal | Published Year | Pages | File Type |
---|---|---|---|---|
992284 | World Development | 2007 | 15 Pages |
Abstract
SummaryObesity has become one of the most serious but neglected global public health problems especially in developing countries. I examine the impact of the Egyptian food subsidy program on mothers’ weight. It is hypothesized that the program causes a wide disparity in per calorie costs between energy-dense and energy-dilute foods and thus aggravating the obesity problem. The estimated elasticities reveal that, mothers’ BMI is inversely related to the price of subsidized, energy-dense food and directly to the price of a high diet quality but expensive food items suggesting that the program aggravates obesity by lowering the direct costs of becoming obese.
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Authors
Abay Asfaw,