Using annual county-level data on nonbusiness bankruptcy for the period 2005–2017 and obesity for the period 2004–2016, this paper finds that higher obesity rates are associated with higher bankruptcy rates beyond what can be explained by local economic conditions and demographic characteristics, state-specific economic shocks, and county-specific time trends. The magnitude suggests that a one-percentage point increase in the obesity rate is associated with a 0.02−0.03 increase (or a 1.0 percent increase) in Chapter 7 bankruptcy rates per 1000 residents and a 0.02−0.04 increase (or a 3–4 percent increase) in Chapter 13 bankruptcy rates per 1000 residents.

利用2005-2017年期间县级非企业破产年度数据和2004-2016年期间肥胖症的年度县级数据，本文发现，较高的肥胖率与较高的破产率相关，超出了当地经济状况和人口特征所能解释的范围，各州特定的经济冲击以及各县特定的时间趋势。数量级表明，肥胖率每增加1个百分点，第7章每1000名居民的破产率增加0.02-0.03（或增加1.0％），而肥胖率则增加0.02-0.04（或3-4％）第13章中每1000名居民的破产率）。