Premium
The Effects of Food Stamps on Obesity
Author(s) -
Baum Charles L.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
southern economic journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.762
H-Index - 58
eISSN - 2325-8012
pISSN - 0038-4038
DOI - 10.4284/sej.2011.77.3.623
Subject(s) - food stamp program , food stamps , obesity , poverty , food consumption , environmental health , national longitudinal surveys , consumption (sociology) , aggregate data , medicine , demography , economics , demographic economics , agricultural economics , economic growth , sociology , endocrinology , social science , pathology , welfare , market economy
Poverty has historically been associated with a decrease in food consumption. This at least partially changed in 1964 when the Food Stamp Act began guaranteeing food for those in poverty. Since the act's passage, the prevalence of obesity has increased dramatically, particularly among those with low incomes. This article examines the effects of the Food Stamp Program on the prevalence of obesity using 1979 National Longitudinal Survey of Youth data. Results indicate that food stamps have significant positive effects on obesity and the obesity gap for females, but these effects are relatively small, and consequently, such benefits are approximated to have played a minor role in increasing obesity at the aggregate level.