Obesity and Economic Growth: An Analysis for Organisation of Islamic Cooperation Members: A Comparison between Africa and Eastern Mediterranean Regions

Abstract

The increasing global trend in obesity rates is mainly linked to various social, economic, and medical determinants. Besides economic growth being named in the literature as one of the main motivations that trigger people to gain weight, culture-based motivations might also impact obesity. Although Islam suggests a healthy lifestyle and disciplined eating behaviour, many Islamic countries face high obesity rates. Using the fixed effects model, we examined the relationship between obesity rates and economic growth in the context of the Obesity Kuznets Curve Model by comparing the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member countries in Africa and Eastern Mediterranean regions for the years between 1975 and 2016. We also estimated a second model for Africa by comparing the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation members and other countries outside the organisation. The results show that Obesity Kuznets Curve Model is valid for both Organisation of Islamic Cooperation members in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. On the other hand, the impact of economic growth is insignificant for the countries outside of the organisation in Africa if the economy continues to grow.

The increasing global trend in obesity rates is mainly linked to various social, economic, and medical determinants. Besides economic growth being named in the literature as one of the main motivations that trigger people to gain weight, culture-based motivations might also impact obesity. Although Islam suggests a healthy lifestyle and disciplined eating behaviour, many Islamic countries face high obesity rates. Using the fixed effects model, we examined the relationship between obesity rates and economic growth in the context of the Obesity Kuznets Curve Model by comparing the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation member countries in Africa and Eastern Mediterranean regions for the years between 1975 and 2016. We also estimated a second model for Africa by comparing the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation members and other countries outside the organisation. The results show that Obesity Kuznets Curve Model is valid for both Organisation of Islamic Cooperation members in Africa and the Eastern Mediterranean. On the other hand, the impact of economic growth is insignificant for the countries outside of the organisation in Africa if the economy continues to grow.