Aportes de la economía de la salud al estudio de la transición de riesgos sanitarios: el caso de la obesidad

Abstract

Epidemiological, demographic and socio-economic transformations in recent decades pose new challenges to health systems. In analyzing the causes of death in the world it is found that four are the most prevalent: cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases and diabetes. In turn, these diseases are caused largely by three risk factors: smoking, physical inactivity and poor diet. The economic perspective helps to understand and predict human behavior in a wide range of situations, constituting a vital approach for the design of institutions and policies that fit the needs of populations. Given the wide spread of overweight and obesity, related to unhealthy behaviors, the overall objective of this work is to conduct a systematic review of the main theoretical and empirical contributions that have been made since the health economy for the explanation of this phenomenon.