Financial health and obesity

Alessandra Guariglia; Mark Monahan; Karen Pickering; Tracy Roberts

doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113665

Financial health and obesity

Soc Sci Med. 2021 May:276:113665. doi: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113665. Epub 2021 Jan 6.

Authors

Alessandra Guariglia¹, Mark Monahan², Karen Pickering³, Tracy Roberts⁴

Affiliations

¹ Department of Economics, University of Birmingham, University House, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TY, UK. Electronic address: a.guariglia@bham.ac.uk.
² Health Economics Unit, Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT, UK. Electronic address: M.Monahan.1@bham.ac.uk.
³ Mtech Access, Suite 2, 30 Murdoch Rd, Bicester, OX26 4PP, UK. Electronic address: Karen.pickering@mtechaccess.co.uk.
⁴ Health Economics Unit, Institute of Applied Health Research, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, B15 2TT, UK. Electronic address: T.E.Roberts@bham.ac.uk.

PMID: 33810889
DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2020.113665

Abstract

We use individual-level panel data from the English Longitudinal Survey of Ageing over the period 2004-2013 to investigate the links between financial health and obesity. We find that having no debt (high savings) is associated with a 3.6 (1.6) percentage point lower probability of having a Body Mass Index in excess of 30. Our results are robust to using different estimation methods, to measuring financial health with a subjective indicator, and adiposity with waist circumference. A lower rate of time preference and lower stress levels may be mechanisms which help to explain the association between good financial health and obesity.

Keywords: Ageing; Financial health; Indebtedness; Obesity; Savings.

MeSH terms

Adiposity*
Aging
Body Mass Index
Humans
Obesity* / epidemiology
Waist Circumference