Do the Obese Respond to Adverse Health Events?: A Bayesian and Behavioral Approach

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dc.contributor.advisorDr. Alvin Headen, Committee Chairen_US
dc.contributor.advisorDr. Frank Sloan, Committee Memberen_US
dc.contributor.advisorDr. Steve Allen, Committee Memberen_US
dc.contributor.advisorDr. David Flath, Committee Memberen_US
dc.contributor.authorKassens, Alice Louiseen_US
dc.date.accessioned2010-04-02T19:18:29Z
dc.date.available2010-04-02T19:18:29Z
dc.date.issued2005-12-08en_US
dc.degree.disciplineEconomicsen_US
dc.degree.leveldissertationen_US
dc.degree.namePhDen_US
dc.description.abstractObesity is an epidemic that is particularly prevalent amongst aging Americans. The economic literature concerning this phenomenon is minimal, and largely focuses on its causes. This dissertation examines the issue from a different direction. First, a Bayesian model is developed to determine how aging Americans use obesity related health information, and if their response differs from the non-obese. Secondly, a behavioral model is employed to see if the same health information elicits a behavioral response. This is the first behavioral response model to determine the existence and magnitude of BMI defined behavioral changes after exposure to new personal obesity related risk information. The estimates of the first model suggest that the obese are Bayesian updaters to a certain extent, and that they utilize adverse health information differently than the non-obese. The behavioral estimates imply that the obese adjust their weight after an adverse health diagnosis. Several suggestions for further work and extensions of these models are given.en_US
dc.identifier.otheretd-12012005-233849en_US
dc.identifier.urihttp://www.lib.ncsu.edu/resolver/1840.16/5707
dc.rightsI hereby certify that, if appropriate, I have obtained and attached hereto a written permission statement from the owner(s) of each third party copyrighted matter to be included in my thesis, dissertation, or project report, allowing distribution as specified below. I certify that the version I submitted is the same as that approved by my advisory committee. I hereby grant to NC State University or its agents the non-exclusive license to archive and make accessible, under the conditions specified below, my thesis, dissertation, or project report in whole or in part in all forms of media, now or hereafter known. I retain all other ownership rights to the copyright of the thesis, dissertation or project report. I also retain the right to use in future works (such as articles or books) all or part of this thesis, dissertation, or project report.en_US
dc.subjectBMIen_US
dc.subjectbehavioralen_US
dc.subjecthealthen_US
dc.subjectobeseen_US
dc.subjectbayesianen_US
dc.subjecteconomicsen_US
dc.titleDo the Obese Respond to Adverse Health Events?: A Bayesian and Behavioral Approachen_US

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