OBESITY AND MORAL HAZARD IN DEMAND FOR VISITS TO PHYSICIANS |
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| Authors: | GEIR WAEHLER GUSTAVSEN RODOLFO M NAYGA JR XIMING WU |
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| Institution: | 1. Gustavsen: Senior Research Economist, Norwegian Agricultural Economics Research Institute, 0030 Oslo, Norway. Phone (+47) 22367228, Fax (+47) 22367299, E‐mail geir.gustavsen@nilf.no;2. Nayga: Professor and Tyson Chair in Food Policy Economics, Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR 72701;3. Senior Research Economist at Norwegian Agricultural Economics Research Institute, 0030 Oslo, Norway. Phone (479) 575‐2299, Fax (479) 575‐5306, E‐mail rnayga@uark.edu |
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| Abstract: | In this article, we use count data regression with sample selection to analyze the effects and degree of moral hazard in demand for visits to physicians among groups of individuals with similar body mass index (BMI). Our results suggest that the effect of moral hazard on the demand for visits to doctors is increasing in BMI for men and for overweight and obese women. Moral hazard is highest among overweight men. (JEL I11, C25) |
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