Long abstract

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OECD Health Working Paper No. 46 presents the findings of health survey data from Australia, Canada, England and Korea. It shows that education appears to be associated with a lower likelihood of obesity, especially among women. This is determined by at least three factors: greater access to and handling of health-related information; clearer perception of the risks associated with lifestyle choices; and improved self-control and consistency of preferences over time. The higher a person’s education relative to his or her peers’, the lower the probability of that person being obese.