Does income have a non-linear impact on residents’ BMI? Re-examining the obesity Kuznets curve
Abstract Background After more than 40 years of growth, the income of Chinese residents has greatly increased; however, the problems of overweight and obesity among residents have become increasingly prominent. Methods We used data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to study the relationship...
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2025-03-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22135-2 |
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| author | Nianyu Du Lele Liu Zongshuo Yin Cui Xu Shijiu Yin |
| author_facet | Nianyu Du Lele Liu Zongshuo Yin Cui Xu Shijiu Yin |
| author_sort | Nianyu Du |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background After more than 40 years of growth, the income of Chinese residents has greatly increased; however, the problems of overweight and obesity among residents have become increasingly prominent. Methods We used data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to study the relationship between residents’ income and obesity using the instrumental variable (IV) method. Results The impact of income on residents’ body mass index (BMI) is an inverted U-shape; that is, when income is low, BMI significantly rises with income, and when per capita income exceeds 57,066 yuan in 2023 prices (equivalent to 8,098 dollars), further increases in income will lead to a decrease in BMI. Conclusions The results suggest that the impact of income on resident obesity may be related to dietary behaviour and health investment. Although income increases the likelihood of health expenditure and exercise, it has an inverted U-shaped effect on whether residents consume fish, meat, fried or pickled foods, and dine out. That is, in the low-income stage, income mainly increases consumption of unhealthy foods such as fish, meat, and fried and pickled foods, leading to a significant increase in BMI. In the high-income stage, residents reduce consumption of large amounts of fish and meat, pay more attention to healthy diet and healthcare, and increase exercise, which leads to a decline in BMI and an overall inverted U-shaped impact of income on obesity. Further heterogeneous analysis showed that income has a greater impact on obesity among rural residents, those aged 50 years and older, and those with low education levels. Finally, this study provides relevant suggestions for the prevention and control (P&C) of obesity among urban and rural residents. |
| format | Article |
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| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-03-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-e6fb0e240eb243fea883fa5e2c52adbb2025-08-20T02:56:15ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582025-03-0125111610.1186/s12889-025-22135-2Does income have a non-linear impact on residents’ BMI? Re-examining the obesity Kuznets curveNianyu Du0Lele Liu1Zongshuo Yin2Cui Xu3Shijiu Yin4School of Economics, Qufu Normal UniversitySchool of Economics, Qufu Normal UniversityChina Academy for Rural Development, Zhejiang UniversitySchool of Statistics and Data Science, Qufu Normal UniversitySchool of Economics and Management, Anhui Agricultural UniversityAbstract Background After more than 40 years of growth, the income of Chinese residents has greatly increased; however, the problems of overweight and obesity among residents have become increasingly prominent. Methods We used data from the China Family Panel Studies (CFPS) to study the relationship between residents’ income and obesity using the instrumental variable (IV) method. Results The impact of income on residents’ body mass index (BMI) is an inverted U-shape; that is, when income is low, BMI significantly rises with income, and when per capita income exceeds 57,066 yuan in 2023 prices (equivalent to 8,098 dollars), further increases in income will lead to a decrease in BMI. Conclusions The results suggest that the impact of income on resident obesity may be related to dietary behaviour and health investment. Although income increases the likelihood of health expenditure and exercise, it has an inverted U-shaped effect on whether residents consume fish, meat, fried or pickled foods, and dine out. That is, in the low-income stage, income mainly increases consumption of unhealthy foods such as fish, meat, and fried and pickled foods, leading to a significant increase in BMI. In the high-income stage, residents reduce consumption of large amounts of fish and meat, pay more attention to healthy diet and healthcare, and increase exercise, which leads to a decline in BMI and an overall inverted U-shaped impact of income on obesity. Further heterogeneous analysis showed that income has a greater impact on obesity among rural residents, those aged 50 years and older, and those with low education levels. Finally, this study provides relevant suggestions for the prevention and control (P&C) of obesity among urban and rural residents.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22135-2Residents’ incomeBMIObesity Kuznets curveInstrumental variable method |
| spellingShingle | Nianyu Du Lele Liu Zongshuo Yin Cui Xu Shijiu Yin Does income have a non-linear impact on residents’ BMI? Re-examining the obesity Kuznets curve BMC Public Health Residents’ income BMI Obesity Kuznets curve Instrumental variable method |
| title | Does income have a non-linear impact on residents’ BMI? Re-examining the obesity Kuznets curve |
| title_full | Does income have a non-linear impact on residents’ BMI? Re-examining the obesity Kuznets curve |
| title_fullStr | Does income have a non-linear impact on residents’ BMI? Re-examining the obesity Kuznets curve |
| title_full_unstemmed | Does income have a non-linear impact on residents’ BMI? Re-examining the obesity Kuznets curve |
| title_short | Does income have a non-linear impact on residents’ BMI? Re-examining the obesity Kuznets curve |
| title_sort | does income have a non linear impact on residents bmi re examining the obesity kuznets curve |
| topic | Residents’ income BMI Obesity Kuznets curve Instrumental variable method |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-22135-2 |
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