Health, income and obesity: an analysis for Brazilian states

Abstract

Objective: In this paper, the effects of obesity and proxies for health on GDP, GDP per capita, and income from labor were estimated. Methods: Panel data models for the 27 federative units. The study for the years 1993 to 2017 used information from the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the Institute for Applied Economic Research (IPEA), the Ministry of Health and the United Nations Development Program (UNDP). Results: There is a higher percentage of obese individuals in states in the North, Centre-west and Northeast regions of Brazil. The health and education indicators in the Southeast and South were relatively high, while relatively low incomes are verified in most states in the Northeast with high levels of obesity. The results suggest that investments in health and education increase income at the state level. Conclusion: Obesity is one of the major cause of death in the world, and its potential effects increase health expenditures and have negative impacts on the economy. In Brazil, although between 1960 and 2018 the life expectancy of the population increased by 21 years, the obese population has increased since the 1970s, and in 2019 it reached 25% of the total population.