Is the first week of January turning out as virtuously as you swore to yourself it would eight days ago?
The question I want to pose this week is: should we pay people to lose weight? This idea might seem a little over the top, but studies in the US reveal the surest way to coax people to lose weight is to give them an incentive to do so – and the most persuasive incentive is filthy lucre.
Weight is not just a question of personal vanity, even though most of us feel that way (and those who don’t are not telling the truth). As a result, it is rare to find an honest person who wouldn’t secretly or publically prefer to be a little bit thinner or lighter. When queried about their weight, people tend to cite health reasons for losing a few pounds but in truth, being trim is part of a global aesthetic, which has, for whatever reason, come to dominate what we perceive to be attractive.
More interestingly, subliminal psychological and social judgments can be triggered deep within us when we think about our own weight and that of others.
Leanness has become, in many people’s minds, a type of virtue – a form of statement about the type of person you are. The thin person is self-contained, capable of control, of denial, of going without. This is a person who can govern her own urges. Indeed, in this era of austerity the truly austere person is the trim, lean one.
By extension, the fatter or obese one is considered to be a slob with no self-control. This can and does lead to self-loathing, which psychologists can tell us all about and in the extreme leads to anorexia and other linked illnesses.
Indeed, if you have family members or friends who have difficulty controlling their weight, you will know how debilitating this can be for them physically as well as psychologically. You’ll also know how much of their self worth can be wrapped up in this warped deification of the lean. I have many friends whose daily life is a constant battle with their weight or what they perceive to be chubbiness.
Most of us suffer a bit from this, no matter what size we are (and by the way it doesn’t help that after an excessive Christmas, I am writing this while listening to 1970s David Bowie in his Thin White Duke phase, back when he made Ryan Tubridy look like Mr Blobby).
So it is off to five-a-side soccer for me tonight.
At this time of the year, when we are all full of good intentions, keen to purify ourselves and either look, behave or act differently, it is easy to believe willpower alone can stem the epidemic of obesity threatening our population. But there is little evidence that willpower is enough. This is why something more radical might be entertained, because when we leave the personal we see this is a serious societal and economic issue.
Now let’s look at the economics of this problem in Irish society.
According to the national taskforce on obesity, 61% of Irish adults and 22% of 5-12 year olds are overweight or obese. Men are more likely to be overweight, as are those over 35, and obesity is more prevalent the poorer you are. In one of its more interesting conclusions, the report states:
“The causes of overweight and obesity are characterised as a natural reaction to an unnatural situation. The wide and constant availability of foods, many of which are high in salt, sugar and fat, along with more sedentary work and transport patterns contribute greatly. The term ‘obesogenic environment’ has been coined to describe contexts in which weight gain is passively encouraged”.
The report then tried to put a cost on rising obesity, saying:
“The health and economic impact of this is considerable. Obesity is linked with physical and psychological ill-health and premature death. In Ireland, the costs of related deaths alone have been estimated at €4 billion per annum”
That’s a huge amount of money. And even if it is an overstatement to make a point, it is worth exploring the consequences of obesity for society as well as the person.
In the US, surveys show that obese people, particularly women, earn less and are more likely to throw sickies. Fascinatingly, other US research has found that obesity in young children negatively affects their verbal, social and motor skills. Obese teenage girls are more likely to smoke and be less active.
The finger of blame in the US, where the problem is most acute and the research more evolved, is pointed squarely at food policy and production. Some research estimates that massive falls in the price of “bad” food such as fatty, corn syrup drenched, high fructose products accounts for 43% of the increase in child obesity. In contrast, the price of fruit and vegetables has risen progressively in America. Profits from producing “bad” foods are then ploughed into advertising, reinforcing the initial health problems.
Controversially, both parents working seems to have negative effects on children’s health; children of working mothers are more likely to be overweight. Interestingly, comparing US states with compulsory PE in school to those that don’t, researchers found compulsory exercise doesn’t materially affect obesity rates.
So what to do? It is clear that the present policy is totally irrational.
Imagine trying to reduce smoking by making cigarettes cheaper? This is what we are doing by making “bad” food cheap. This goes against everything we know in economics and how we incentivize people to change behaviour. It’s like urging people to wear seat belts but making cars with seat belts more expensive than those without.
Here is a new notion. Pay people to lose weight. Experiments* in the US show that the best way to help people lose weight is to give them cash. One study took three groups of overweight people. One group was rewarded with cash if they lost weight. The second bunch had to pay to get on a weight loss programme. If they were successful, they got all their money back. The third group received no money, but were praised if they lost weight.
Who lost most, quickest? The people who were paid – of course!
Now I know this sounds truly radical; and paying fat people to lose weight will lead to howls of “moral hazard” from trim, self-controlled types. Like many in the debt forgiveness/mortgage relief debate now, they’ll roar that they were virtuous and thin and now they are being punished for it, just like the people without debt argue that they are being punished for being prudent, while free-spenders are rewarded.
But obesity is a societal problem and we will all pay for it. It’s just a matter of which way we choose to pay. At the moment we pay through the health bill and taxes, which has had no impact on people’s behaviour. Surely the alternative is smarter?
David McWilliams’ new book The Good Room is out now.
*http://www.human.cornell.edu/outreach/upload/CHE_PAM_EconomicsofObesity.pdf
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Maybe instead of paying people to lose weight…fine or tax them for being overweight!
Of course I’m not serious.
We live in a corporate world – AKA as the market. Corporations make money selling cheap toxic foods; and selling the medical treatments to off-set the damage. It’s a win-win for the market.
Given that the food industry is unlikely to police itself, an easy (if you ignore the lobbyists) is to mandate max levels of sugar, salt etc. Initially, leave the levels close to existing levels and over time reduce the max levels so that the consumer doesn’t notice the change in taste.
“This is a person who can govern HER own urges” – what about the other half ? – big, big blunder !!
As it is a societal problem. Set up a program of medical examination. Those at a greater risk of costing the medical plan pay more than those that don’t. Works for life insurance and car in, insurance and house insurance. Why not for health insurance I hit rocks with my boat, and shortly later lost a mast. Result was it was difficult to get insurance at all and when I did it was double my previous payment. Now after claims free for three years the premiums are dropping. drop some weight and lower your premium. When one reaches the right… Read more »
Mega Irish Profits Many large Foreign and British Food Stores trading in Ireland do not reveal their Irish Profits from Irish Branches in Republic and the Minister has promised to rectify this since the elections . We are still waiting . It is common knowledge that food sold in Ireland is over priced by the foreign stores and much of their foreign food products are not consistent declaring their food constituent products thus making them seem dodgy and dangerous for the welfare of the Irish consumer .A legal health hazard that may cause cancer to the unsuspecting buyer. When can… Read more »
One of the big benefits to a national health program is the the state can now tell you how to live your life and what to eat. “You are costing ‘US’ billions a year in medical bills.”
I think people should be paid to wash regularly, also to watch less television. It would also make sense to pay people to eat healthier food, even if they don’t loose weight. Since an educated population is deemed beneficial, we should pay people to pass public exams. Using modern surveillance technology, we should pay people who drive sensibly, and thus cut road deaths. We could extend that reward people who operate pedestrian crossings ‘correctly’, and thus minimise accidents. Since domestic violence is far and away the biggest cause of physical and psychological damage, we should pay people to live in… Read more »
How about just taxing unhealthy food. Then you get the financial incentive without the moral hazard?
Maybe even subsidise healthy food a little?
Want a can of coke? Yeah, that’ll be 5 euro.
Bag of McCoys? Yeah, 5 euro.
A banana? Yeah, 20 cent.
Bottle of water ? Yeah, 20 cent.
Hi David, Happy new year to you and all the bloggers on the website (a little late maybe …)! Excellent idea to pay people to lose weight! A certain sum for each kilo lost, which must be repaid if they put the weight back on. France has also changed, and obesity has become common place. From a professional point of view, looking good has never been so important. It’s not just the linkedin photo, nowadays professionals need to work on their self-branding on the web. The CV is dead and recruiters are looking at the online profile, video and big… Read more »
There’s clearly something in the water that economists drink. We have Nobel Prize winning economists telling how beneficial for the economy the destruction of entire towns is. Then we have them telling us that the only way out of a debt crisis is to keep adding more debt. Now they’re suggesting that personal responsibility should, effectively, be eradicated, and replaced by state direction. We should always have concernes about a group who believe that the entire universe is irrational, and that only they, the chosen few with economics PhDs, are rational. The best description for the world over the past… Read more »
The failure of the successful marketing of Irish Food can be attributable to ‘ the end of the COOP ‘ a period in Irish Farming . This happened in the seventies .
Farmers then thought they would make mega bucks by selling their coops to private investors who were not farmers .Thus ALL Control of marketing of Irish Food was lost forever by the farmers and they have never recovered since.
Even Irish Government lost control in using The Shamrock in Germany where the most profitable market was .They lost it through a conspiracy within Germany .
Never mind bribes and fines or even self loathing. Education is the key There is a high school program in Canada called , I think, Food Safe. It has been a while and things change. My three all learned about diet, food preparation ,cooking, nutrition, and how different food types affected the body. on the whole a good result in that two out of the three are lean and execise. The third not so and is somewhat overweight and less active But is aware of good food practices. Comes back to money. Education is still the key. If the people… Read more »
Hi David, Just to help you join the dots. Your company churning our corn syrup and your farmer growing high sugar corn are both getting fat profits backed up by government subsidies, and your support of QE is supporting this system of over corporatising the food chain. You want people living a more healthy life style then allow the producers of food a chance to get their product to the market and not have the government force them to go through big-agri-business who get more benefits than any welfare system. You want to fix fat people you fix the food… Read more »
So, instead of lean government we need lean people to help fat government :)
I agree with Tony. Nutrition needs to be taught in school. My 8-year old son did it in school (in Paris) just before Xmas. It’s taught in a really fun way and the kids really understand. BTW, there are cantines in school and all children get a proper lunch.
When I was in secondary school, 600 of us used to bring our sandwiches everyday! The weaker kids got to do subjects like home economics!
During the boom, people spent thousands on fantastic kitchens! Not so sure about the number fantastic meals that came out of them.
A very good article and something that has hit home with myself. I am over weight and have been for last 6-7 years prob longer if Im totally honest. And Im losing weight soley for vainty reasons and kinda geting paid for it. I bought a bike under cycle to work scheme in Oct. I havent cycled to work yet but I have been out on it most free time I have. With a slight change in diet and the cycling I lost a stone and a half before Christmas. I did put back on 3lbs over xmas period but… Read more »
A logical argument that makes economic sense, hang on! Did I not recently read “A Critique of Economic Theory” demonstrating there is no ‘sense’ in economics as it is a hodgepotch of ‘senseless’ assumptions and subjective interpretations, it can neither explain the cause of previous phenomena (the Great Depression anyone?) or predict future ones (the Great Recession?), and that the espousals of Economists is thus quack talk. The ‘reward Fat people’s weight loss coz it makes economic sense’ policy has so many unintended ramifications one would need a quantum crystal ball at hand, it typifies the farce of economic theory… Read more »
Why don’t we tax the hell out of fizzy drinks, chocolates, high fat foods etc? Surely that will incentivise people to change their diets? And it should be a zero-sum tax with the revenues taken in from the Fat tax used to subsidise fresh fruit and veg (only fresh, not frozen, chopped, blended etc).
Jelly Bellies and Lardy Bums
NIce to see how our Govt is helping our European Reps stay slim and trim during its EU Presidency. Do they:
a. Let said Reps walk from their Hotels to meetings in the City Centre a la IMF AJ Chopra?
b. Agree to pay the occasional taxi fare if weather is inclement, giving some work to the many drivers?
c. Purchase 74 Audi A6’s to show the Germans just how poor we are and to ensure that as little exercise is engaged in as possible?
Answers on a postcard please…….
How would an nct on everyone’s birthday work school goers have to pass doctor and teacher adults pass Garda and doctor ,and a nice reward from government for law abiding people who try to stay healthy ?
I’d prefer to get paid for going to work. Take home pay doesn’t get me to the bus stop.
On a more serious note, obesity is a huge issue and only set to get worse, it costs people their health, costs the economy lost productivity and costs the health service to deal with the fallout, clearly something has to be done.
Here’s an idea: leave people alone to make up their own minds about what they should and shouldn’t put in their bodies.
This article smacks of paternalism and another encroachment of the nanny state.
I have heavy bones…….HEAVY BONES..!!!
I accept coins,cash,gold,vouchers for Dundrum shopping Center.Oil[no gas Thank you] Rubles,Government bonds,CFD’s shares in Mcdonalds
[they open more restaurants in a recession..! good business..]
Art,anything with Bernanke’s signature,Irish E.U presidential ties.second season of “Homeland”……!!
If I do not get any of these items in the next 24 hours,the 12 pack of “Tunnocks” teacakes gets it.
you skinny fuckers have been warned,that includes you Mcwilliams..!! “if you turned sideways you’d be reported missing,saw more met on a butchers apron”!!!!!
I am not saying Butchers are met [meth] heads thought I wrote meat,……turned out what I thought was “a” was in fact a piece of splattered Teacake…!
Oops,……need another Hostage…..!
Interesting article and comments. Personally I am in the personal responsibility camp and think the desire to be healthy should come from within. Another issue which has not been addressed is why there are such failure rates among people who are genuinely trying to lose weight and get in shape. My view is because all this low fat nutritional advice is just plain wrong and is not suitable for our species. I personally eat a diet high in natural fats (including saturated) and I am in excellent shape and have the same waist size as I did when I was… Read more »
In this age of information, instant knowledge at your fingertips and an overwhelming amount of evidence about LDL, HDL, BMI, LO GI, HI FIBER, LOW FAT, POLY, MONO, SATURATES, HYDROGENATED, PALM KERNEL, BPM, HYDRATION, CALORIES, FOOD MILES, FAST FOOD, SLOW FOOD, ETC ETC. The idea to pay any lazy, internet game playing, couch potato, tv watching, biscuit munching, soda drinking, no exercise taking, cigarette smoking, cheap sweet eating, Mc Donalds consuming, chip van chasing roly poly humpty dumpty looking fat fuck, is not only an outrageous idea but it is unacceptable and not worth the column inches that you wasted… Read more »
I searched online for news about the economy but I keep getting links to this blog here … yummy corn syrup and pancakes and get paid for eating them. Yes as David said above, ’a moral hazard’ – why not just tell everybody to be irresponsible and that responsible people will pay… David’s wish list – debt forgiveness, fat forgiveness (dare I say fat bank bailouts) etc…Will it ever dawn on you that to build a society you incentive good behaviour. Reversing your fat forgiveness with a skinny tax credit (a tax deduction) would have the same health affect and… Read more »
As you will know from your physics lessons, the heavier an object is the slower the time moves on…. in other words in outer space time runs faster, but if you come close enough to a black hole, time is slowed down to the maximum, hence it acts as a natural time maschine…. Send all central bankers and economists in an stationary orbit around a black hole of around 50 million kilometers…time runs slow, hence you can naturally drag on repayments of bondholders and kick the can down the road for infinity.
Har har
When the gov’ts are now supposed to dictate diet, as they dictate E10 biofuel instead of food, we are heading straight for Action T4 again. That M.D.-signed document, listed classes of people with illness, as too expensive for “the effort”. Date Sep 1939. T4 – Tiergarten 4 Health Ministry Berlin address. Dr. Brandt et al hung on that evidence. Why? It opened the door to everything after – a price on life. Look at Liverpool Life Pathway for where this leads right now. Those “statistically” dying have treatment withdrawn – to cut costs. Mr. Blair’s recipe. Amazing how suddenly the… Read more »
I totally agree with dwalsh this is a “win win situation” for big Corporations making from baby-food in a jar, or your “home made” lasagna in a box; to the health care business sector, that sells the pills to treat the unbalances in your body that bad habits and diet creates, with the added problem they create in, your body and sometimes even your mind. And these big companies very skilfully use advertising through the media, to present their products as the better and the cheaper, when I don’t think in reality it is so. A vicious circle that paradoxically… Read more »
David I didn’t have the chance to tell you, that your last video production regarding the global food economy, is fantastic!
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The following video as well is “food for thought”.
Tristan Stuart: “The Global food waste scandal”
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cWC_zDdF74s
I hereby raise an red button alarm !!! Incentivizing is the cornerstone of Obama’s health reform, straight from Mr. Blair’s N.I.C.E. (see above). What does “incentivize” really mean? A seemingly harmless new word, with “concern” for the happy recipient? See this Obama Q&A for EXACTLY what this means ! All of this is termed “behavioral economics”, also a seemingly harmless “well-intentioned” approach : from Nov 2012 : Watch out Ireland! Behavioural Economics “Scientists” heading to Dublin The Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI), ESRI’s multi -million euro budget comes from the Department of Finance, other Government and international bodies and… Read more »
I hereby raise an red button alarm !!!
Incentivizing is the cornerstone of Obama’s health reform, straight from Mr. Blair’s N.I.C.E. (see above).
What does “incentivize” really mean? A seemingly harmless new word, with “concern” for the happy recipient?
See this Obama Q&A for EXACTLY what this means !
All of this is termed “behavioral economics”, also a seemingly harmless “well-intentioned” approach : from Nov 2012 :
Watch out Ireland! Behavioural Economics =Scientists= heading to Dublin
I guess when it comes to healthy eating a good maxim would be the less packaging and processing the better. That way you know there’s no-one making ‘added value’ profits from poor quality ingredients. By the way, one of the things keeping me from emmigrating from here is the quality of the food available here. Fresh good food is cheap here-I couldn’t eat like I do here for four times the money in Germany, where I spend a fair bit of time.
modern life is sedantry, this is the primary reason why people are getting fatter because modern life has taken out all the mundane physical tasks that used to be part of life. Most people spend their working day sitting in an office. Maybe we should go back to the future and get rid of some of the labour saving devices we have. Would it not make more sense if you have a propensity to put on weight and are doing a sedentary job, then give up this job and get a physical job, that way you are doing physical activity… Read more »
What nobody seems to have mentioned here and it has more to do with psychology is that of “Comfort Food” How many people eat to feel better ? Given that we are living in hard times how many people george themselves on fast food, chocolate wine etc just to blot out the fact that they are in arrears to the bank , their credit card is at its limit and how will they pay the next ESB bill and where will I find a job ? The food industry puts a lot of time and energy and money into making… Read more »
Thought for the day
“When misguided public opinion honors what is despicable and despises what is honorable, punishes virtue and rewards vice, encourages what is harmful and discourages what is useful, applauds falsehood and smothers truth under indifference or insult, a nation turns its back on progress and can be restored only by the terrible lessons of catastrophe.” … Frederic Bastiat
posted on http://www.lemetroploecafe.com IMO the finest web site for economics that exists. 10 January 2013 It’s Official. Krugman Does Not Understand the Value of Money Well I did say that Mr. Krugman should proceed, and like Mitt Romney, he did, and doubled down. I am not quite sure I have the words. Chris Hedges was right. Like other progressives and independents, I have been discouraged that many old school liberal economists have had so little to say about financial reform, and the frauds in the banking system, even as they blindly pressed their case for more stimulus to be distributed… Read more »
= http://www.lemetropolecafe.com
Alex Jones calls the virtuous lean, trim self controlled types Dweebs and little Hitlers. Give me a girl with a few extra pounds any day. Glad you are homing in on food policy and production because no one else in the msm seems to think it is important enough a topic to address. Food producers have been selling crap food for decades and now mass produced food is in the hands of a small number of corporations Now we are seeing the results of the damage they are doing The obestity statistics are damning as are the statistics for the… Read more »
The real obesity is the bailout, pudgy TARP, flabby LTRO’s, and now Godzilla QE4, Bernanke’s fast-food for the varocious banksters. But wait a minute, are Draghi and Bernanke actually trying to pay them to slim? Another Argument for Glass-Steagall: “Secrets and Lies of the Bailout” Under that title, financial investigative reporter Matt Taibbi delves deep into the deceptions and secret dealings of the Bush and Obama Administration’s Wall Street bailouts, in a lengthy article in Rolling Stone. Even though Taibbi doesn’t refer to Glass-Steagall in this piece, he certainly shows why the restoration of FDR’s law is so absolutely necessary.… Read more »
While the banksters bloat, in the US ALMOST 20 MILLION CHILDREN OUT OF 73.9 MILLION under the age of 18 were in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), or food stamps, in 2011, according to data from the U.S. Department of Agriculture and US Census Bureau, RT reported Jan. 10, with children 45% of those receiving aid. As of October 2012, one in 6.5 Americans use SNAP, while in the 1970s it was only one in 50. —- With reports of food waste, also being suggested to feed the poor with – in other words garbage for the poor, and… Read more »
A tale of promissory notes, mortgage backed securities, and bailouts. Mortgage “Settlements” Protect Mortgage/Derivatives Fraud Jan 10, 2013 (LPAC)–Three big mortgage/foreclosure settlements have been announced so far: the $25 billion settlement announced in February 2012; and the $8.5 billion settlement reache with 10 banks and the $10.3 billion deal reached with Bank of America earlier this week. That makes for good headlines, but what is actually going on here? In effect, the crimes which these bankers committed are still being covered up. What crimes? To answer that question, it is necessary to understand that the issue from the bankers’ perspective… Read more »
Dr Fox, head of energy and environment at the UK Institution of Mechanical Engineers, said: “The amount of food wasted and lost around the world is staggering. This is food that could be used to feed the world’s growing population — as well as those in hunger today. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20968076
Some of the data is questionable – see the bbc.
The truth is we need to double food production, stop the use of food potential for biofuels, and organize the necessary water for agriculture. This is what Reconstruction is all about after the bloated banks are put on a healthy diet.
Diddle Di Dum Lidle has a great philosophy of issuing new catalogues weekly and every week new products are shown from around the world .It also has an on-line marketing system with great display.Its philosophy includes foods and sports . What is interesting about its next issue from 14th Jan is that it has given over many pages on foods from Poland .I have never seen such a significant marketing exercise on foods imported into Ireland directly to the purchaser .It is extraordinary . What are the implications of this event ? I am sure there are many suggestions one… Read more »
£1 Fish Man
Here is a fish for thought . Look at both videos .
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ETSl8gWsFZ0
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_miGclPFGs
The chant :’ long live obesity ‘ declares itself to mean they die young and reduce the costs to a State Pension when they retire or live long whatever the cost of lost opportunity costs while they are alive and non workable .
Have you ever noticed recently the following trends :
Increase in deaths in young people especially in fifties . They usually live frugally : and
Increase in lifespan of people who are 85 and over . They usually live in relative luxury.
Would it not be better to invest the fat tax on educating those with learning difficulties s it would help to reduce the numbers of prison officers resulting in more teachers less prison offices and a healthier society?
Or is that beyond the 4/5 year cycle of a government. The statistics on the numbers of prisoners with learning difficulties is astounding this clearly indicates that it’s fixable. At the moment the education system is been undermined.
David I think your fat forgiveness tax is not going to happen any time soon.