标题：The Effect of the Food Stamp Program and the Minimum Wage on Obesity: An Empirical Investigation Using Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System (BRFSS) Data
摘要：The Food Stamp Program (FSP) and minimum wage legislation
have been used as major instruments to eliminate poverty for
many years. Although the common purpose of these programs
is to reduce hunger and poverty, these two programs have been
suspected of driving up the rates of obesity prevalence of low-
income households because the rate of obesity for them is larger
than that of non-low-income households.
Using the data of Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System
(BRFSS), this study tries to empirically investigate the causal
e®ects of FSP and Minimum Wages on obesity prevalence for
low-income households along with the e®ects for non-low-income
households.
The empirical results show the Food Stamp Program in fact re-
duces the risk of obesity while minimum wage rates have no e®ect
on it in low-income households. These results suggest the FSP
plays a signi¯cant role in providing nutritious food in its role as a
nutritional assistance program.
