Social Capital's Effects on Tastes and Preferences

Abstract

Obesity has been a growing epidemic in the United States for decades. Cheaper, low-quality foods have grown in quantity and accessibility, while many do not acquire the recommended physical activity level to burn the calories. While there are many factors that contribute to the prevalence of obesity, some studies have found a lack of diet quality and diversity likely plays a significant role in the epidemic. This paper explores the role of community influence and involvement in the preference an individual has for healthy foods, as measured by obesity level. A supply and demand model is used to represent the hypothesis that an increase in the level of community social capital would result in a decrease in obesity and an increase in the taste and preferences for foods that make up a healthy and diverse diet. The results show that states with a greater proportion of people who donated at a high level in 2000 are more likely to have had lower obesity levels in 2000, and states where a greater proportion of people donated at a medium level in 2000 were more likely to have a smaller increase in obesity levels between 2000 and 2006.