Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Obesity in Africa: A Disaggregated Panel Corrected Standard Error Model

2025-09-18T07:00:16+00:00

Obesity is a growing problem in Africa, promoting morbidity and contributing to mortality from non-communicable diseases. Although nutrition and genetic factors have been implicated in promoting obesity, the impact of environmental factors like carbon dioxide emissions is rarely emphasized in the literature. This paper contributes to the body of existing knowledge by providing some empirical linkages between carbon dioxide emissions and obesity in Africa. The study used a longitudinal research design, and the data were from a panel of fifty-two African countries covering the 2000-2016 period. The data were sourced from the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) database and the World Bank’s World Development Indicators. Data analyses were implemented with a panel corrected standard error model due to the presence of contemporaneous correlation among some panels and the presence of cointegration. The results showed that obesity significantly increased (p<0.05) across all regions with an increase in carbon dioxide emission, per capita growth in gross domestic product (GDP), and percentage of food importation. Political stability had mixed results on obesity, with positive impacts in West and Central Africa, and negative impacts in South Africa and in the combined results. It was concluded that addressing carbon dioxide emissions in Africa presents a positive signal towards a reduction in the incidence of obesity. A framework for African leaders to fully comply with the Paris Agreement is therefore fundamental in reducing the future impacts of GHG emissions on obesity and other associated health problems. Similarly, promotion of political stability and health-induced economic growth are vital for addressing the African obesity epidemic.

Window of Health : Jurnal Kesehatan

Greenhouse Gas Emissions and Obesity in Africa: A Disaggregated Panel Corrected Standard Error Model