The Impact of Education (Level of Knowledge) on the Prevalence of Obesity in Different Urban Environments

Authors

  • Yuval Arbel Western Galilee College https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4365-6280
  • Yifat Arbel Bar Ilan University, Department of Mathematics
  • Amichai Kerner Bar ilan University, Faculty of Social Sciences
  • Miryam Kerner Technion -Israel Institute of Technology - The Ruth and Bruce Rapoport Faculty of medicine, Emek Medical Center, Afula, Israel

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.18335/region.v11i2.533

Abstract

We investigate the impact of high-rise buildings on the prevalence of obesity in the US during 2011-2020 stratified by educated vs. non-educated populations. We use a quadratic specification that accounts for non-monotonic variation. Findings demonstrate that concentration of above 147 skyscrapers in a state is detrimental with regards to the projected prevalence of obesity. The main public policy repercussions of our study are: 1) the promotion of education for medical literacy due to the fact that for each number of skyscrapers the prevalence of obesity is lower among educated populations. 2) widening pavements, pathways and open spaces following urban development.

Author Biographies

Yuval Arbel, Western Galilee College

Yuval Arbel, PhD, is an Israeli CPA, and the chair of the Economics Department at Western Galilee College, Acre, Israel. He received his BA degree in Economics and Accounting from Tel Aviv University, and MA and PhD in Urban Economics. He was awarded the President’s Grant from Bar Ilan University for PhD studies in Economics. After completion of his PhD, he participated in a post-doctoral training program at the Faculty of Architecture and Town Planning, Technion, Israel Institute of Technology. His academic areas of expertise are: Urban Economics, Behavioral Finance and Economics, Obesity and Health Economics, Empirical Economics and Econometrics.

Yifat Arbel, Bar Ilan University, Department of Mathematics

Yifat Arbel, B.Sc., is a software engineer and a Mathematician. She received her B.Sc. degree in mathematics from Bar Ilan’s university. After completion of her B.Sc. degree, she worked in start-up as-well-as leading software corporations. She is currently a M.Sc. student in Financial Mathematics at Bar ilan university. Her academic areas of expertise are statistical and mathematical methods of optimization.

Amichai Kerner, Bar ilan University, Faculty of Social Sciences

Amichai Kerner, PhD, is the chair of the Banking and finance Program, Faculty of Social Sciences at Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan, Israel. He received his BA degree in Law and Economics from Bar Ilan University, and MA and PhD in Construction Financing. He was awarded the President’s Grant from Bar Ilan University for PhD studies. After completion of his Ph.D., he was Director of the Evening Program of the Netanya Academic College Law School and taught in the School of Banking and Capital Markets. Then he became Vice Dean, in the School of Real Estate, Netanya Academic College. His academic areas of expertise are: Real Estate, Finance, Urban Economics, Obesity and Health Economics.

Miryam Kerner, Technion -Israel Institute of Technology - The Ruth and Bruce Rapoport Faculty of medicine, Emek Medical Center, Afula, Israel

Miryam Kerner, MD, is a senior dermatologist and the Director of the Dermato-Oncology Clinic, Emek Medical Center, affiliated to the Technion, Israel. She received her MD from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, an MHA from Tel Aviv University and completed a research fellowship at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York. Her academic areas of expertise are Dermatology and Dermatology- Oncology.

Obese man running in front of high-rise buildings

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Published

2024-11-30

How to Cite

Arbel, Y., Arbel, Y., Kerner, A. and Kerner, M. (2024) “The Impact of Education (Level of Knowledge) on the Prevalence of Obesity in Different Urban Environments”, REGION. Vienna, Austria, 11(2), pp. 99–117. doi: 10.18335/region.v11i2.533.

Issue

Vol. 11 No. 2 (2024)

Section

Articles
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Copyright (c) 2024 Yuval Arbel, Yifat Arbel, Amichai Kerner, Miryam Kerner

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