Obesity Inequality and the Changing Shape of the Bodyweight Distribution in China
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Using data from the China Health and Nutrition Survey, this study analyses changes in bodyweight (body mass index and waist circumference) distributions between 1991 and 2011 among adults aged 20+ in China. To do so, we quantify the source and extent of temporal changes in bodyweight and then decompose the increase in obesity prevalence into two components: a rightward shift of the bodyweight distribution (mean growth) and a (re)distributional skewing. Our analysis reveals a clear rightward distributional shift combined with a leftward skewing. Although the relatively large size of this skewing in the first decade analysed reflects an increase in obesity inequality, this inequality growth subsides in the second decade. Nevertheless, over the entire 20-year period, obesity inequality increases significantly, especially among females, younger age groups, residents in rural and western provinces, and individuals with low socioeconomic status.
JOUR
Nie, Peng
Ding, Lanlin
Sousa-Poza, Alfonso
2019
China Economic Review
58
101348
3030