The purpose of this dissertation is to address policy makers to change the way they think about increasing obesity rates. So far the discussion revolves around increasing incomes and imposing taxes on high fat food, despite their disputed effectiveness. Most of these studies seem to neglect the cultural dimension of the phenomenon and the fact that obesity is seen as a positive outcome in many societies, so that individuals show a clear preference for higher body weight, while ignoring the adverse health effects associated with it.
Keywords: Overweight, Obesity, Developing Countries, Health Economics, Development Economics
