Empirical economic analysis on thinness

2015 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 25780187
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Young Scientists (B)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Research Field: Public finance/Public economy
• Research Institution: Nagoya University
• Principal Investigator: Nakamura Sayaka 名古屋大学, 経済学研究科(研究院), 准教授 (20511603)
• Research Collaborator: MARUYAMA Shiko シドニー工科大学, 経済学グループ, 上級講師
• Project Period (FY): 2013-04-01 – 2016-03-31
• Keywords: body mass index / 痩せすぎ / 低体重 / 肥満 / 栄養摂取 / 運動 / 学校給食 / 国際研究者交流

Outline of Final Research Achievements

First, we conduct nonparametric analysis on long term trends in BMI (Body Mass Index) in post-war Japan and find highly nonlinear trends for females. Second, we decompose changes in BMI to contributions of changes in energy intake and energy expenditure. We find that energy intake decreased similarly for both men and women, but that the reduction in physical activity was greater among men than among women due to an increase in female labor participation and a reduction in energy requirement at work among men, which led to an increase in male BMI and a decrease in female BMI. Third, we study the effect of school lunch on early teenagers’ body weight. We do not find any significant effects in the full sample analysis but find significant negative effects on obesity among children with low socioeconomic background.

Free Research Field

医療経済学