Abstract
About 30% of Americans are obese, which is roughly a 100% increase from 25 years ago. This study examines the effects of changes in the racial/ethnic composition and age distribution on the prevalence of obesity, identifies the portion of the increase in obesity caused by these changes, and projects the effects of future racial/ethnic and age changes on obesity using National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data. Results indicate that racial/ethnic composition changes and age distribution changes have accounted for about 10% of the increase in obesity over the last 25 years. However, future racial/ethnic and age changes are not projected to increase obesity substantially.
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Acknowledgments
I would like to thank two anonymous referees and my colleague, William F. Ford, Weatherford Chair of Finance at Middle Tennessee State University, for the helpful advice improving this paper.
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Responsible editor: Junsen Zhang