Economics of Health, Obesity and the Built Environment: Empirical Investigations and Policy Implications

Over the past decade, non-communicable health outcomes such as overweight and obesity have been escalating in epidemic proportions across the U. S. and, more prominently, in economically lagging geographic regions. This book examines the socioeconomic, demographic, and spatial characteristics of overweight and obesity and the resulting policy implications. The economically lagging Appalachia state of West Virginia (WV) is used as a case study. The analysis systematically integrates economic theory, human health and behavioural outcomes and econometric modeling to facilitate understanding of the obesity epidemic. Thus, this book can serve as a standard reference for students, scholars, and public health advocates across disciplines, seeking to enhance their understanding of obesity and health particularly as they relate to the built environment and to economically lagging geographic regions.