that longitudinal data on BMI are needed. We suggest a theory of imitation -- where utility depends on relative weight … psychological health of approximately 0.3 GHQ points. Comparisons also matter. For a given level of BMI, we find that people who are … British population view themselves as overweight, and that happiness and mental health are worse among fatter people in both …

If human beings care about their relative weight, a form of imitative obesity can emerge (in which people … subconsciously keep up with the weight of the Joneses). Using Eurobarometer data on 29 countries, this paper provides cross …-sectional evidence that overweight perceptions and dieting are influenced by a person’s relative BMI, and longitudinal evidence from the …

social comparisons influencing individual Body Mass Index (BMI). I find that in particular the average BMI of individuals in … the same county-age-gender-cell as the respective individual influences BMI. Evidence from quantile regressions points … becoming slimmer as a result of preferences for deviant behaviour. Life satisfaction regressions show a positive effect for BMI …

Obesity spreads more easily if is not perceived negatively. This may be the case among the poor, for whom fatness can … facing the highest obesity rate in the world. Individual fatness is instrumented using variation in genetic predisposition …. Results confirm a positive or insignificant effects of obesity among the poor and point to a depressing effect among the rich …

paper explores how happiness regression equations might be used in tort cases to calculate compensatory damages for …

Objective Better measurement of the health and cognitive benefits of breastfeeding by using sibling comparisons to …

This paper proposes a new method of measuring obesity using Body Mass Index (BMI) data. Conventional measures which … simply count the number of individuals with BMI in excess of an upper limit ignore the extent by which individuals exceed BMI … limits and also the increased risk ratios for various conditions associated very high levels of BMI. This paper suggests that …

Using the nationally representative Slan dataset we take a number of approaches to profile the change in obesity in … years. There is evidence that obesity and overweight are relatively more concentrated amongst males, the old and those with … lower educational achievement. While obesity rose slightly over the period this was due to a rise in the average level of …

Using the nationally representative Slan dataset we take a number of approaches to profile the change in obesity in … years. There is evidence that obesity and overweight are relatively more concentrated amongst males, the old and those with … lower educational achievement. While obesity rose slightly over the period this was due to a rise in the average level of …