Reflection of obesity on economic growth, carbon emissions and human development: The case of Türkiye

The primary aim of this study is to examine the relationship between obesity, economic growth, carbon emissions, and human development using examples from Turkey and selected countries. For this purpose, data covering the period 1990-2022 were utilized, and the effects of economic growth, carbon dioxide emissions, and the human development index on obesity were analyzed through international databases. The thesis addresses the concepts of obesity, economic growth and its influential factors, carbon emissions and related concepts, human development and the components of the human development index, as well as the relationships among these concepts. Fourier-based methods (Conventional ADF and Fourier ADF unit root tests, Fourier ADL (FADL) cointegration test, and Dynamic Ordinary Least Squares method) were employed for data analysis. According to the findings, the coefficient of the "GDP" variable, representing per capita real GDP for Turkey, was determined to be 8.85. Additionally, the coefficient of the "GDP2" variable, representing the square of per capita real GDP, was calculated as -0.50. These results indicate that the obesity Kuznets curve hypothesis is valid for Turkey. The coefficient of the "CO2" variable, representing the level of carbon emissions in Turkey, was found to be 0.45, while the coefficient of the "HDI" variable, representing the level of human development, was determined to be 1.26. These findings suggest a positive correlation between carbon emissions, human development, and obesity in Turkey. Accordingly, increases in carbon emissions and human development levels in Turkey contribute to the rise in obesity. KEYWORDS: Obesity, Economic Growth, Human Development Index, Carbon Emissions