Honors Theses
Date of Award
Spring 4-7-2021
Document Type
Undergraduate Thesis
Department
Economics
First Advisor
Thomas Garrett
Second Advisor
Natalia Kolesnikova
Third Advisor
Norris "EJ" Edney
Relational Format
Dissertation/Thesis
Abstract
The growing rate of obesity across the United States is a topic of great concern considering both the health and financial costs associated with the disease. Many researchers have sought to determine the major causes of obesity so that policy suggestions can be made to reduce its occurrence. Some of the referenced drivers of obesity include high food costs, poor access to healthy food, and a lack of knowledge regarding nutrition. This thesis seeks to find the effects of county-level food prices, income, food access, and education level on obesity rates in Mississippi counties. The analysis uses cross-sectional data from 81 Mississippi counties. The results reveal that the percentage of a county’s population with at least a four-year degree has a statistically significant inverse relationship with county-level obesity rates but no significant relationship between the other variables and county-level obesity rates is found. The results imply that increased education funding may result in decreased obesity rates on a county level.
Recommended Citation
Osman, Youssef, "Investigating the Economic Effects of Food Affordability, Food Access, and Education on Obesity Rates in Mississippi Counties" (2021). Honors Theses. 1669.
https://egrove.olemiss.edu/hon_thesis/1669
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