The Economics of Addictive Behaviours The Private and Social Costs of Overeating and Their Remedies

125 Pages·2017·1.552 MB·English

by  Joshua, John

THE ECONOMICS
OF ADDICTIVE
BEHAVIOURS
VOLUME IV
The Private and Social
Costs of Overeating
and their Remedies
John Joshua
The Economics of Addictive Behaviours
Volume IV
John Joshua
The Economics of
Addictive Behaviours
Volume IV
The Private and Social Costs of
Overeating and their Remedies
John Joshua
Deakin University
Melbourne, VIC, Australia
ISBN 978-3-319-62535-5 ISBN 978-3-319-62536-2 (eBook)
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-62536-2
Library of Congress Control Number: 2017947161
© The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s) 2017
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Acknowledgement
Special appreciation are due to my wife Feng Yan for her everlasting
encouragement and compassion over many years.
v
Contents
1 Introduction 1
2 The History of Obesity and Its Distribution by Social
Class and Geography 7
3 The Phenomenon of the Body Mass Index 19
4 The Mismatch Between Food Requirements
and Actual Diets 29
5 The Obesogenic Environment 37
6 Behavioural Causes of Overeating and Lifestyle 43
7 The Psychological Foundation of Overeating
and Behavioural Economics 49
8 The Consequences of Obesity: Health, Unhappiness
and Quality of Life 59
vii
viii Contents
9 The Environmental Effects of Overconsumption 67
10 The Politics of Corporate and Social Responsibility 75
11 The Prevention and Treatment of Obesity 87
12 Government Intervention in the Market
and Rational Choice 95
13 Economic Remedies and the Reduction of Obesity 107
14 Conclusion: Towards an Integrated Health Policy 117
Index 121
List of Figures
Fig. 2.1 The psychodynamics of social behaviour 14
ix
1
Introduction
Abstract This is the fourth volume of The Economics of Addictive
Behaviours and deals with the causes and consequences of overweight
and obesity, which are seen here largely as the consequence of lifestyle
to satisfy short-term gratification which has long-term consequences.
However, the causes of obesity are multidisciplinary and therefore call
for multidisciplinary solutions. Obesity is mainly caused by the over-
consumption of calories and technological innovations; such as fast
food outlets, which have decreased the relative prices of energy-dense,
mass-produced foods and so produced a shift in the demand of food,
and subsequently an increase in obesity. Technological advances have
reduced the required physical energy at work as much work that previ-
ously required physical energy is more and more done by machines.
Keywords Multidisciplinary causes of obesity · Fast food · Obesogenic
environment · Quality of life · Corporate social responsibility
This is the fourth volume of The Economics of Addictive Behaviours
and deals with the causes and consequences of overeating and subse-
quent obesity. The first chapter provides a chapter by chapter outline.
© The Author(s) 2017 1
J. Joshua, The Economics of Addictive Behaviours Volume IV,
DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-62536-2_1
2 J. Joshua
Overweight and obesity is seen here largely as the consequence of
lifestyle to satisfy short-term gratification which has long-term con-
sequences. However, the causes of obesity are multidisciplinary and
therefore call for multi-disciplinary solutions; hence, the causes of obe-
sity have to be identified before appropriate remedies can be found.
A largely inactive lifestyle together with an unhealthy diet causes an
imbalance between the intake of energy and energy expense. Obesity
is mainly caused by the overconsumption of calories and technological
innovations, such as fast food outlets, which have decreased the relative
prices of energy-dense, mass-produced foods and so produced a shift in
the demand of food, and subsequently an increase in obesity. The main
cause of obesity is overeating; that is, consuming more energy than exert-
ing it; disorders of the endocrine system, physical inactivity and to some
extent genetic factors. Over the last 30 years, technological advances have
reduced the required physical energy at work as much work that previ-
ously required physical energy is more and more done by machines.
The second chapter highlights the fast worldwide increase in over-
weight and obesity and shows that the extent of overweight and obe-
sity differs amongst the social classes and in the geographic distribution.
As obesity differs amongst the social classes, it contributes to health
inequalities and may establish a vicious cycle of obesity and social ine-
quality. It is argued here that obesity is mainly caused by individuals’
lifestyle and their obesogenic environment.
The third chapter discusses the phenomenon of the body mass index
(BMI). The calculation and its limitation of the BMI will be explained.
It will be argued that the main reason for the increase of the BMI over
the years has been a mismatch between food requirements and actual
diets which has been described as the main cause of obesity; an increas-
ingly sedentary lifestyle as well as an increase in the consumption of
unhealthy food by many individuals is also a major contributor towards
obesity. Adverse economic disturbances and differences in social eco-
nomic status depending on the level of economic development may also
contribute towards an increase in the BMI. An increase in BMI may
also affect individuals’ cognitive functions. Further disadvantages of
meat and dairy production, such as being environmentally unfriendly
are also discussed.