Behavioral Economics and Obesity: A Multilevel Analysis
Leonard H. Epstein, University at Buffalo School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences
Dr. Epstein is State University of New York distinguished professor in both the Departments of Pediatrics and Social and Preventive Medicine at the University of Buffalo, and the chief of the Division of Behavioral Medicine. Dr. Epstein's research interests focus on health behavior change and determinants of eating, physical activity, and drug self-administration. Dr. Epstein is an internationally recognized authority in the fields of childhood obesity, physical activity, weight control, and family intervention. For the past 25 years, Dr. Epstein has conducted research relevant to the prevention and treatment of childhood obesity, including mechanisms that regulate intake and energy expenditure in children. He is a fellow in numerous scientific organizations, and has been the president of the American Psychological Association's (APA) Division of Health Psychology and was a recipient of the APA Award for Outstanding Contributions to Health Psychology. Dr. Epstein chaired the National Institutes of Health's (NIH) Behavioral Medicine Study Section and served on the NIH Advisory Board for Center for Scientific Research. Dr. Epstein has published over 300 scientific papers and three books.
Abstract: Losing weight requires a series of choices to eat healthier and be more active. Behavioral economics is a theoretical approach to understanding how people make decisions about how to allocate their time among alternatives and how to set priorities. Behavioral choice theory incorporates multiple levels of analysis, ranging from basic neuroscience and genetic research, field and clinical studies, and environmental analyses. Basic research will be reviewed that demonstrates the central role of choice in determining motivation to engage in behaviors, and these basic paradigms will be applied to human eating and physical activity. The interaction of genetic factors that may influence the motivation to eat, and how these genetic polymorphisms interact with behavioral phenotypes to influence the choice to eat are presented. These basic principles are extended to clinical research on weight loss in children, and prevention research to assess the role of reducing television on weight change in young children. The potential role of environmental changes that favor healthier eating and greater access to physical activity, such as pricing, are noted. These studies highlight the importance of integrating basic and clinical research, and the potential for multidisciplinary approaches to improve healthy behaviors.