In 2014, the United States Food and Drug Administration announced that chain restaurants with 20 or more locations would be required to put calorie labels on the menu. The merits of the policy depend in large part on three empirical issues: 1) if calorie labels help correct calorie under- or...

We use a multilevel multinomial econometric approach to model the categories of body mass index as functions of both lifestyle components and external environment. Among state level variables, higher per-capita sales of restaurants and higher Gini coefficient are associated with higher rates of...

We examine the relationship between trait self-control and body weight. Data from a population representative household survey reveal that limited self-control is strongly associated with both objective and subjective measures of unhealthy body weight. Those with limited self-control are...

We examine the relationship between trait self-control and body weight. Data from a population representative household survey reveal that limited self-control is strongly associated with both objective and subjective measures of unhealthy body weight. Those with limited self-control are...

Sequence and cluster analysis is applied to measures of body mass index for mothers and children for four waves of the Growing up in Ireland longitudinal data set. Optimal matching analysis is used to construct a dissimilarity matrix to which cluster analysis is then applied. Distinct...

Background Previous literature documents the direct and indirect economic costs of obesity, yet none has attempted to quantify the intangible costs of obesity. This study focuses on quantifying the intangible costs of one unit body mass index (BMI) increase and being overweight and obese in...

The effects of mindfulness interventions on food purchases and consumption are popular topics. Recent studies focus on mindfulness interventions that target overweight and obese populations. We measure the effects of a guided 5-minute body scan mindfulness intervention on 'healthier' food...

We study the impact on young children's bodyweight of switching from means-tested to universal provision of nutritious free school meals in England, exploiting identifying variation in the timing of weight measurements. We show that exposure to high quality universal free lunches increases...

The COVID-19 pandemic and its associated policies may impact body weight in a variety of ways. Using data from the 2018-2020 waves of the Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS), we estimate the COVID-19 pandemic’s effect on Body Mass Index and the probability of obesity for adults...