Production of Health in Chinese households: Children’s overweight and obesity

Modernization and subsequent changes in lifestyle have caused a dramatic increase in prevalence of overweight and obesity in China (WHO, 2000; Wu, 2006). Since obesity is one of the main forces driving Noncommunicable Diseases (NCDs), increases in prevalence of obesity in children lead to higher incidence of NCDs and reduction in health human capital. I use the China Health and Nutrition Survey (CHNS) to carry out structural estimation of health production function for children in China. Results suggest that calorie intake is the most important input in the production of excessive weight with an impact on weight three times larger than sedentary activities and six times larger than physical activities. Calorie intake also has a more than proportional effect on unhealthy extra weight. These results suggest that public health policies targeting obesity in children must focus on reducing excessive calorie intake.