Social and Behavioral Sciences Commons^™

The Payoff Of A Healthy Lifestyle While In College, Richard D. Angeletti Iii

Undergraduate Economic Review

This study analyzes the effect that an individual’s body mass index (BMI) has on their hourly compensation in their next job directly following attainment of their bachelor degree. This study uses the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth that started in 1997. This study aligned all the survey participants’ timeline of life events to be coordinated in such a way that bachelor degree attainment, regardless of year, is the common reference point. Sufficient observation of bachelor degree receipts was found in the year 2001 through 2007 resulting in a pooled data set across seven years. This study hypothesizes that individuals with …

Diet And Health Capital: An American Case Study, Matthew J. Klein

Undergraduate Economic Review

This paper begins to model diet's contribution to national stocks of Health Capital as defined in Kenneth Arrow et al.'s (2012) "Sustainability and the Measurement of Wealth" by developing a set of equations that link the diet of a nation’s average citizen to that nation’s per capita welfare over time. The model is applied to the American diet from 2005 to 2009. This research finds that even a small change in diet can have a large impact in whether or not a nation is sustainable over time.

The Growing Concern Of Poverty In The United States: An Exploration Of Food Prices And Poverty On Obesity Rates For Low-Income Citizens, Catherine Gillespie, Kathy Gray, Ethan Bailey, John Zivalich

Undergraduate Economic Review

Studies demonstrate the link between income and obesity, determining factors to explain the strong correlation between high body mass index and low socioeconomic status. Many focus on uncovering predictors but few use a systems approach: identifying the interaction among predictors and their relative magnitude concerning obesity. This study asks: do poverty or food price indicators have a statistically stronger relationship with obesity?

By collecting data, evaluating trends, and analyzing statistics, this study extends research by revealing a stronger relationship between obesity and food prices as opposed to obesity and poverty.