Files
Abstract
This study examines the relationship between the use of modern food retailers and health
outcomes, using data from a survey of 1180 urban households in Indonesia. The
dependent variables include adult and child body-mass index (BMI) and the share of
individuals overweight and obese. After controlling for individual and household
characteristics and using standard and Lewbel instrumental variable approaches to control
for unobservable characteristics, we do not find a statistically significant relationship
between use of supermarkets and adult nutrition measures. On the other hand, there is
mixed evidence for a negative effect of supermarkets on child nutrition, particularly for
those in high-income households.