Raise Gas Prices, Trim Waistlines?!
Raising gas prices by $1 is more than just a an energy consumption strategy. It could also trim American's waistlines. That's according to a report written by Charles Courtemanche at Washington University in St. Louis.
Entitled "A Silver Lining? The Connection between Gas Prices and Obesity," the study found that an additional $1 per gallon in real gasoline prices would reduce U.S. obesity by 15 percent after five years.
A Reuters story on the report notes that the report, a doctoral dissertation in health economics, concluded that the 13 percent rise in obesity between 1979 and 2004 can be attributed to... falling pump prices!
Gas dipped to less than $1.50 per gallon in 2000 before climbing to a record high of $3.22 in May of 2007.
The dissertation concluded that higher gas prices reduce obesity by leading people to walk or cycle instead of drive, and eat leaner at home instead of rich food at restaurants.
Comments
Shouldn't it be up to the individual to maintain their weight!?!?!?!?!?
Posted by: Linda | September 12, 2007 8:14 PM
This would just be another excuse to raise gas prices.
Posted by: Misty | September 12, 2007 8:39 PM
Another person that thinks each and every one of us is nothing but a statistic or a lemming. My gas consumption is consistent, I drive to work, just because gas goes up does not make my trip short enough that I can walk or even take a bus for that fact. The next think I suppose we'll be hearing is that a drip in the price of liquor will make us all alcoholics. Jez.
Posted by: Laura | September 12, 2007 10:12 PM
Yes, and if you raise it a few dollars more, not only will Americans not be able to afford to eat, they won't be able to afford to live either. Isn't that just profound!
Posted by: Anonymous | September 13, 2007 12:30 AM
It's true...I can BARELY afford to keep food in the house as it is. With gas prices the way they are even NOW, it raises the price of EVERYTHING else we buy or consume! A 5th grader could've come to this conclusion; I sure hope none of MY tax dollars funded this so-called "study"
Posted by: Aja | September 13, 2007 1:44 AM
This dude's a nutter. Whaddya say we try letting HIM test the theory first, eh!
Posted by: Tarquineshetta | September 13, 2007 3:18 AM
Good food is more expensive, so an increase in the cost of fuel may also encourage people to eat cheaper fast food instead of driving less.
Higher fuel costs seem to cause a slight reduction in traffic so there may be some who choose not to drive when prices are high.
I'd be quite happy paying an extra $1/gallon if the additional funds actually went into transportation projects. Spending less time in traffic and not having to dodge holes in the roads would be a welcome change from our worn out road system.
Posted by: Anonymous | September 13, 2007 5:47 AM
Funny thing, the gasoline prices in England are MUCH higher and they tend to look like the fat little piggy on the way to market.
Posted by: Vlad the Impaler | September 20, 2007 10:30 PM