Economic Determinants of Obesity in Canadian Adults

Abstract

This paper examines how socioeconomic status and economic insecurity relate to obesity in working-age Canadians between 2000 and 2010. First, I attempt to explain the gender specific gradients in body mass. Second, I test the theory that higher levels of economic insecurity are associated with higher rates of obesity. Data from the Canadian Community Health Survey is used to determine how BMI relates to various measures of income, food insecurity, and stress. My results indicate that low income is associated with higher rates of female obesity and lower rates of male obesity. Economic insecurity measured at the provincial level, such as the employment rate seems to have no significant impact on obesity, which may be due to limitations in the data. Food insecurity is predictive of excess body weight in women, especially mothers.