Obesity inequality and well-being in Germany

Fan Meng^a, Peng Nie ^{b,a, c,d} and Alfonso Sousa-Poza^a,c

^a Institute for Health Care & Public Management, University of Hohenheim, 70599 Stuttgart, Germany

^b School of Economics and Finance, Xi’an Jiaotong University, 710061 Xi’an, China

^c IZA, Bonn, Germany

^d Health Econometrics and Data Group, University of York, United Kingdom

Abstract

Using 2002-2018 German Socio-Economic Panel (GSOEP) data for German adults aged 18+, this study measures changes in the body mass index (BMI) distribution and obesity inequality to estimate the relation between the latter and subjective well-being. In addition to documenting a significant association between the various measures of obesity inequality and subjective well-being, especially among women, we show a significant increase in obesity inequality, particularly among females and those with low education and/or low income. This rising inequality points to the need to combat obesity through initiatives targeted at specific sociodemographic groups.

Keywords: obesity inequality; subjective well-being; obesity; overweight; Germany

Weblink: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ehb.2023.101236