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The Effects of Farm and Food Policy onObesity in the United States; Foreword; Preface and Acknowledgments; Contents; List of Abbreviations; List of Figures; List of Tables; 1 Introduction; 1.1 The US Obesity Epidemic; 1.2 The Policy Challenge; 1.3 Outline and Overview; 1.4 Target Audience; 2 Obesity in America; 2.1 Concepts and Measures of Obesity; 2.1.1 The Main Alternative Indexes; 2.1.2 Comparing BMI with the Alternatives; 2.2 US Obesity Rates; 2.2.1 Sociodemographic Patterns; 2.2.2 Projections; 2.2.3 Childhood obesity; 2.3 International Comparisons; 2.4 Conclusion; Appendix; Notes
3 Consequences of Obesity3.1 Health Consequences of Obesity; 3.1.1 Obesity-Related Adult Mortality and Morbidity; 3.1.2 Obesity-Related Mortality and Morbidity Among Children; 3.2 Private Costs of Obesity; 3.2.1 Presenteeism, Absenteeism, and Wages; 3.2.2 Private Expenditure on Weight Loss; 3.2.3 Health-Care Costs; 3.3 Social Costs of Obesity; 3.3.1 Social Costs of Lost Productivity; 3.3.2 Social Costs of Health Insurance; 3.3.3 Estimates of the Deadweight Losses Associated with Public Health Insurance; 3.4 Conclusion; Notes; 4 Causes of Obesity: Individual Physiology and Consumption Choices
4.1 Human Physiology and Obesity4.1.1 Energy Balance Equation and Obesity; 4.1.2 Genetic Aspects; 4.1.3 The Dynamics of Obesity; 4.2 Behavioral Aspects: The Role of Choice; 4.2.1 Changes in Diet (and Possible Causes); 4.2.2 Changes in Activity and Exercise (and Possible Causes); 4.2.3 Other Lifestyle Changes; 4.3 Summary and Conclusion; Notes; 5 Causes of Obesity: External Influences; 5.1 Environmental Factors; 5.1.1 Evidence on General Environmental Effects; 5.1.2 Social Environment; 5.1.3 Built Environment; 5.1.4 Synopsis on Environmental Factors; 5.2 Market Factors
5.2.1 Rising Personal Disposable Incomes5.2.2 Food Prices and Obesity; 5.2.3 Opportunity Cost of Time; 5.2.4 Health-Care Markets; 5.3 Role of the Food Industry; 5.4 Role of Technology; 5.5 Government Policies (or the Lack Thereof); 5.5.1 Farm Policies; 5.5.2 Food Policies; 5.6 Summary and Conclusion; Notes; 6 Role for Government: In Principle; 6.1 Perspectives on Personal Responsibility; 6.2 A Case for Government Intervention?; 6.2.1 Paternalism; 6.2.2 "Public Health"; 6.2.3 An Economic Rationale Based on the Kaldor-Hicks Criterion; 6.2.4 Obesity Externalities; 6.2.5 Imperfect Information
6.3 Potential Government Interventions6.3.1 An Economic Model of an Obesity Externality; 6.3.2 Issues About Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Equity; Note; 7 US Farm Subsidies and Obesity; 7.1 Popular Views on Farm Subsidies and Obesity; 7.2 Overview of US Farm Policies; 7.2.1 The Farm Bill; 7.2.2 Subsidies for Program Commodities; 7.2.3 Broader Representation of Farm Price and Income Supports; 7.3 Linking Farm Subsidies to Food Prices and Consumption; 7.3.1 A Simplistic Model Is Misleading; 7.3.2 Corn Policy Complexities; 7.3.3 Farm Subsidies and Commodity Prices: Some Estimates
3 Consequences of Obesity3.1 Health Consequences of Obesity; 3.1.1 Obesity-Related Adult Mortality and Morbidity; 3.1.2 Obesity-Related Mortality and Morbidity Among Children; 3.2 Private Costs of Obesity; 3.2.1 Presenteeism, Absenteeism, and Wages; 3.2.2 Private Expenditure on Weight Loss; 3.2.3 Health-Care Costs; 3.3 Social Costs of Obesity; 3.3.1 Social Costs of Lost Productivity; 3.3.2 Social Costs of Health Insurance; 3.3.3 Estimates of the Deadweight Losses Associated with Public Health Insurance; 3.4 Conclusion; Notes; 4 Causes of Obesity: Individual Physiology and Consumption Choices
4.1 Human Physiology and Obesity4.1.1 Energy Balance Equation and Obesity; 4.1.2 Genetic Aspects; 4.1.3 The Dynamics of Obesity; 4.2 Behavioral Aspects: The Role of Choice; 4.2.1 Changes in Diet (and Possible Causes); 4.2.2 Changes in Activity and Exercise (and Possible Causes); 4.2.3 Other Lifestyle Changes; 4.3 Summary and Conclusion; Notes; 5 Causes of Obesity: External Influences; 5.1 Environmental Factors; 5.1.1 Evidence on General Environmental Effects; 5.1.2 Social Environment; 5.1.3 Built Environment; 5.1.4 Synopsis on Environmental Factors; 5.2 Market Factors
5.2.1 Rising Personal Disposable Incomes5.2.2 Food Prices and Obesity; 5.2.3 Opportunity Cost of Time; 5.2.4 Health-Care Markets; 5.3 Role of the Food Industry; 5.4 Role of Technology; 5.5 Government Policies (or the Lack Thereof); 5.5.1 Farm Policies; 5.5.2 Food Policies; 5.6 Summary and Conclusion; Notes; 6 Role for Government: In Principle; 6.1 Perspectives on Personal Responsibility; 6.2 A Case for Government Intervention?; 6.2.1 Paternalism; 6.2.2 "Public Health"; 6.2.3 An Economic Rationale Based on the Kaldor-Hicks Criterion; 6.2.4 Obesity Externalities; 6.2.5 Imperfect Information
6.3 Potential Government Interventions6.3.1 An Economic Model of an Obesity Externality; 6.3.2 Issues About Effectiveness, Efficiency, and Equity; Note; 7 US Farm Subsidies and Obesity; 7.1 Popular Views on Farm Subsidies and Obesity; 7.2 Overview of US Farm Policies; 7.2.1 The Farm Bill; 7.2.2 Subsidies for Program Commodities; 7.2.3 Broader Representation of Farm Price and Income Supports; 7.3 Linking Farm Subsidies to Food Prices and Consumption; 7.3.1 A Simplistic Model Is Misleading; 7.3.2 Corn Policy Complexities; 7.3.3 Farm Subsidies and Commodity Prices: Some Estimates