Room: Phillips 231
Time: Mon 16:45 PM-18:15 PM

New Evidence on the Effects of Public Policies on Obesity

Chair: Jason Fletcher (Yale University)

Session Description

Obesity has become an epidemic in most developed countries in the past several decades, including the US. While the biological mechanism is relatively straightforward—an increase in net caloric intake—examining whether public policies may help reduce obesity rates is still needed. This session highlights new research aimed at evaluating the impacts of several types of policies and environmental changes on obesity. The emphasis in this session is to provide a first attempt to estimate the effects of policies and environmental factors that have thus far not been subject to econometric scrutiny. The paper by Tefft uses a quasi-natural experiment design to examine the potential impact of soft drink taxation on children’s soft drink consumption and weight status using the nationally representative NHANES repeated cross sections over 15 years. The paper by Courtemarche exploits the specific spatial introduction of Walmart Supercenter stores in the US over time, combined with the nationally representative BRFSS dataset to examine the impact of this large shift in the environment on obesity rates. The paper by Schmeiser uses an instrumental variable strategy to examine whether a supplemental nutrition program has either short term or long term impact on obesity rates for children and adults. Combined with the innovative research designs applied to new areas of policy and environmental interest from each paper, this session also includes discussants who are experts in obesity.

Session Organizer: Jason Fletcher (Yale University)

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Presentations

1. The Effects of Soft Drink Taxes on Child and Adolescent Consumption and Weight Outcomes

   Presenter: Nathan Tefft (Bates College)

   Discussant: Irina Grafova (University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey)

2. The Skinny on Big Box Retailing: Walmart Supercenters and Obesity

   Presenter: Charles Courtemanche (University of North Carolina, Greensboro)

   Discussant: Jason Fletcher (Yale University)

3. The Impact of Long-term Participation in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program on Family Obesity

   Presenter: Maximilian Schmeiser (University of Wisconsin-Madison)

   Discussant: David Frisvold (Emory University )