c. The Economics of Nutrition/Obesity:
i. Does calorie labeling in menu/menu board impact food consumption decisions/choices among individuals? With FDA’s menu labeling regulation in effect and many counties/cities mandating calorie labeling of menus (even some preceding the FDA regulation) do we now have evidence about the effectiveness of this policy?
ii. The rise of childhood obesity over the past two decades has been one of the most challenging public health issue in the US. Although, there is no magic policy bullet that can solve this issue, an active lifestyle (engagement in exercise, sports etc.) has been deemed an effective strategy to reverse this trend. What role, if any, can federal/state government play in encouraging an active lifestyle? Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move campaign is an example of such a program at the Federal level.
d. Health Reform
i. As of January 2019, 37 states (including DC) have adopted ACA’s Medicaid expansion, with 14 states deciding not to participate in it. This has important implications for the availability of mental health and substance abuse treatment for the behavioral health population. In the context of the current opioid crisis, is it economically rational for states to consider Medicaid expansion? How are states that decided to expand Medicaid faring in terms of providing treatment for opioid use disorder compared to states that have decided not to expand Medicaid? ii. ACA is not a perfect regulation and many have presented arguments/evidence for post-ACA health reform initiatives. One reform initiative that has been implemented in recent years is removing the individual mandate provision of the ACA. What are the implications of removing the individual mandate provision for health insurance coverage among the US population? Does this lead to a more efficient health insurance exchange?
e. Social Determinants of Health Without suggesting anything specific, I encourage you to explore this area to come up with a research question. This is obviously a huge subfield in health economics and it covers topics from racial disparities to health literacy to the built environment to bullying and many things in between – all very interesting and can make a great term paper.
#FDAs #menu #labeling #regulation #effect #countiescities
