Le prix des aliments et la distribution de l'indice de masse corporelle des Français

Are individual differences in Body Mass Index (bmi) related to differences in food prices? French food scanner data are used to estimate the effect of the prices of 23 food product categories covering food-at-home consumption on the bmi distribution in a sample of French adults. Using quantile regressions, we find significant negative elasticities to the prices of cheeses, oils, pastries and deserts, and ready-meals for marginally overweight or obese women and to the prices of non-alcoholic beverages and ready-meals for marginally overweight men. These estimates of the price-bmi regressions should be read cautiously, as omission of unobserved factors such as individual physical activity levels may bias the results. Classification JEL : D12, H2, I12, I18