TY  - JOUR
AU  - Goldfarb,Robert S.
AU  - Leonard,Thomas C.
AU  - Markowitz,Sara
AU  - Suranovic,Steven
TI  - Can A Rational Choice Framework Make Sense of Anorexia Nervosa?
JF  - National Bureau of Economic Research Working Paper Series
VL  - No. 14838
PY  - 2009
Y2  - April 2009
UR  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w14838
L1  - http://www.nber.org/papers/w14838.pdf
N1  - Author contact info:
Robert S. Goldfarb
George Washington University
Department of Economics
2115 G St NW, Suite 340
Washington, D.C. 20052
E-Mail: gldfrb@gwu.edu

Thomas C. Leonard
Department of Economics
Fisher Hall
Princeton University
Princeton, NJ 08544
E-Mail: tleonard@princeton.edu

Sara Markowitz
Department of Economics
Emory University
1602 Fishburne Dr.
Atlanta, GA 30322
Tel: (404) 712-8167
E-Mail: sara.markowitz@emory.edu

Steven Suranovic
George Washington University
Department of Economics 
Elliott School of International Affairs
1957 E St. N.W., Room 502B
Washington DC 20052
E-Mail: smsuran@gwu.edu
AB  - Can a rational choice modeling framework help broaden our understanding of anorexia nervosa? This question is interesting because anorexia nervosa is a serious health concern, and because of the following issue: could a rational choice approach shed useful light on a condition which appears to involve "choosing" to be ill? We present a model of weight choice and dieting applicable to anorexia nervosa, and the sometimes-associated purging behavior. We also present empirical evidence about factors possibly contributing to anorexia nervosa. We offer this analysis as a consciousness-raising way of thinking about the condition.
ER  -