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This paper follows previous economic studies on bodyweight by looking at bodyweight as individuals’ choices in response to changes in income and food prices. However, it goes one step further to add another relevant choice under individual control: food quality. It shows that the upward trend of bodyweight caused by economic growth and technological innovations may well be self-limiting in the sense that the bodyweight growth in the future is likely to be slower or reversed. In particular, it finds that much of further income growth will be used for improving food quality rather than increasing caloric intake. Moreover, further technological innovations that focus on lowering the price of high-quality (healthy) food relative to that of low-quality food would encourage substituting food quality for food quantity (calories).

If rational individuals pay the full costs of their decisions about food intake and exercise, economists, policy makers, and public health officials should treat the obesity epidemic as a matter of indifference. In this paper, we show that, as long as insurance premiums are not risk rated for obesity, health insurance coverage systematically shields those covered from the full costs of physical inactivity and overeating. Since the obese consume significantly more medical resources than the non-obese, but pay the same health insurance premiums, they impose a negative externality on normal weight individuals in their insurance pool.

To estimate the size of this externality, we develop a model of weight loss and health insurance under two regimes – (1) underwriting on weight is allowed and (2) underwriting on weight is not allowed. We show that under regime (1), there is no obesity externality. Under regime (2), where there is an obesity externality, all plan participants face inefficient incentives to undertake unpleasant dieting and exercise. These reduced incentives lead to inefficient increases in bodyweight, and reduced social welfare.

Using data on medical expenditures and bodyweight from the National Health and Interview Survey and the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, we estimate that, in a health plan with a coinsurance rate of 17.5%, the obesity externality imposes a welfare cost of about $150 per capita. Our results also indicate that the welfare loss can be reduced by technological change that lowers the pecuniary and non-pecuniary costs of losing weight, and also by increasing the coinsurance rate.

Five papers in the volume use economic models to predict obesity and related behaviours. Two of the papers are theoretical. Liqun Liu, Andrew J. Rettenmaier, and Thomas R. Saving analyse the importance of food quality for bodyweight. Bodyweight is treated as a variable of choice – the individual derives utility from health, food consumption and consumption of a composite good. Bodyweight is assumed to decrease health whenever it differs from its physiologically optimal level. Their model implies that much of further income growth will be used to improve food quality rather than increase caloric intake.

It has been known since at least 1905 that pregnant female mammals gain bodyweight, additionally to the fetus and structures involved in reproduction, mostly early in pregnancy. Much of the substance gained in rats and possibly nearly all of it in humans is fat; it represents substantial storage of energy—typically 30,000 kcal (125.5 MJ) in the human. In a ‘state of nature’ such storage in advance of a time of increased demand for energy must be valuable; a similar mechanism is seen in birds before migration. Dewar showed that in mice the hormone progesterone, the signal for many of the changes in the mother in pregnancy, is also responsible for the weight gain. This action of progesterone has been extensively investigated in the rat (paper gives further references). Rats and mice are very suitable for such work, for they are available in uniform strains, are easy to handle, and their bodies can be analysed accurately. Cynics, however, have observed that a high proportion of endocrinology refers to the rat; it must not be assumed that the findings are necessarily true for other species.

White tea is an unfermented tea made from young shoots of Camellia sinensis protected from sunlight to avoid polyphenol degradation. White tea contains a high level of polyphenolic compounds known as catechins. Several types of evidence have suggested that tea consumption has benefits in body weight and endurance maintenance. This study was designed to evaluate the effect of white tea on body weight and endurance of animal models.

This research was an intervention design using 20 Wistar white rats (Rattus Norvegicus) in body weight between 150 and 200 g. The rats were randomized into four groups, three groups receiving white tea drink (WTD) with different doses and the other group receiving plain water in equal volume as a control group for four weeks. The forced swim test (FST) was done to measure their struggling capacity, and digital bodyweight to measure the weight.

Intervention (WTD Groups and Control) caused weight gain among except G3 with the highest doses of white tea. The result showed that WTD intake in G3 had a significant difference (p < 0.05) on body weight gain compared to control. The authors found that WTD in a specific dose (G3: 0.22 mg) tends to maintain the body weight of animals (219.2 ± 41.96; 212.6 ± 46.90, respectively), while other doses caused weight gain. WTD also significantly increased the swimming and struggling capacity of rats that represented improvements the endurance along with the test. There was a statistically significant difference in endurance among all groups (p < 0.05).

The results of this study can be followed as human intervention research as an input for nutritionists and sports scientists to explore the beneficial effect of white tea.

The results of this study can be followed as human intervention research as an input for nutritionists and sports scientists to explore the beneficial effect of white tea.

This study adds more evidence and information about the advantages of white tea as potential beverages in future healthy lifestyles.

When designing a marketing strategy to recruit females to participate in bodybuilding competitions, marketers should be aware not only of the established motivators inherent in females considering structured recreational activities, but also of the unique motivators for female potential recruits. Many traditional tactics used in bodybuilding marketing in the past have missed the mark. Chief motivators are fun, improved health and then, in descending order of importance, enhanced appearance, managing bodyweight, socialising and skill.

Anti-bullying legislation has been adopted in every state to prevent the victimization of youth, but the focus on deterring and criminalizing individual behavior can obscure the contextual factors that contribute to aggression. This theoretical paper engages sociological literature to understand the impact of recent anti-bullying legislation on students’ experiences.

We discuss stigma and account-making theory to theorize the ways students become particularly vulnerable to victimization and may or may not be sufficiently protected under the law. We also engage criminological theories to understand how punishment may not be sufficient for preventing aggressive behavior but may instead lead students to employ strategies to avoid being caught or punished for their behaviors.

We argue that the majority of current anti-bullying definitions and protocols in use are ambiguous and insufficient in protecting vulnerable groups of students, particularly students with disabilities, overweight students, and LGBT +  students.

Our findings suggest that schools should seek to understand and alter the school-wide cultures and norms that permit aggressive behavior in the first place, in turn creating more inclusive school environments.

The Malaysian movement control order is a series of national lockdowns implemented by the Malaysian federal government to contain the spread of Coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19). The government has made it mandatory for all non-essential sectors to work remotely to mitigate the spread of COVID-19. The eating behavior of working adults may have altered following the changes in working norms. This study aimed to assess the eating behavior of remote working adults during the COVID-19 pandemic.

A total of 159 remote working adults were recruited through a convenience sampling approach. Bodyweight and body height were self-reported by the respondents. Body mass index was calculated according to the cut-off of World Health Organization standards. The eating behavior was evaluated using the eating behavior questionnaire.

Results revealed more than half of the remote working respondents did not practice meal skipping. Irrespective of the gender, more than 70% of the respondents consumed either breakfast, lunch or dinner every day. Most of the respondents consumed vegetables, bread/rice/noodles and meat/chicken at least two times per day. Regression analysis revealed meal skipping was associated with younger people, overweight status and median monthly household income.

Many sectors adopted remote working systems during the COVID-19 pandemic. It is postulated that working remotely will be a new normal even after this pandemic. Until now, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, little or no data are available on assessing the eating behavior of remote working adults during the COVID-19 pandemic. This study could provide an insight into the eating behavior of adults during remote working.

This study aims to evaluate the effect of the combination of tempeh and red ginger flour in hypercholesterolemic rats.

Sprague Dawley male rats (n = 30; body weight 150-200 g) were randomly divided by five groups (n = 6), consist of negative control (K−) group: group fed by normal diet (laboratory standard diet laboratory, 4.35 kcal/g, 0% cholesterol); positive control (K+) group: group fed by high cholesterol diet (5.28 kcal/g, 12.1% cholesterol); Treatment 1 (P1) group: group fed by high cholesterol diet and treated by tempeh flour (TF) 1.9 g/200 g body weight; Treatment 2 (P2) group: group fed by high cholesterol diet and treated by red ginger flour (RGF) 0.036 g/200 g body weight; and Treatment 3 (P3) group: group fed by high cholesterol diet and treated by a combination TF 0.95 g/200 g body weight and red ginger 0.018 g/200 g body weight. The lipid profiles and malondialdehyde (MDA) were assessed.

The combination of tempeh and red ginger has successfully exerted the total cholesterol (121.9 ± 3.41 mg/dL; p < 0.01), triglycerides (TG) (89.3 ± 2.94 mg/dL; p < 0.01), low-density lipoprotein (39.1 ± 1.59 mg/dL) and MDA (2.0 ± 0.24 mg/dL; p < 0.01) lower than the other treatments. Also, the combination of tempeh and red ginger treatment appeared the highest high-density lipoprotein concentration (63.4 ± 2.26 mg/dL; p < 0.01) compared to the other treatment groups. Total cholesterol and TG were predicted as the increasing of MDA concentration.

The combination treatments successfully improved the lipid profiles and MDA. Furthermore, the combination of tempeh and red ginger could be effective in supporting therapy as the hypolipidemic condition.