People living in affluent nations with “free-market” economies are more prone to become obese, according to a study made in Oxford University. Study showed money concerns and financial insecurity are the reasons why some countries have increased rates in obesity.

The study was made under the subject matter, Economic and Human Biology. It sought to compare obesity in 11 wealthy countries from year 1994 to 2004.

The researchers particularly wanted to find out why most of the people living in UK and US countries weigh more than the residents of Norway and Sweden.

Based on the results of the study, the researchers said that obesity had certain social causes. The Oxford researchers thought that stress might be a factor that could lead people to overeat. This concept is based on the research based on animal behavior that showed how animals increase their food consumption when faced with uncertainty.

Researchers used 96 national surveys to collect and analyze data on obesity levels. The survey was carried out in a number of different countries for over 10 years.

They included the “free-market” countries such as US, UK, Australia and Canada, and compared them against countries that offer better social protection and economic security such as Finland, France, Italy, Germany, Norway, Sweden and Spain.

The study found out that more open market countries appear to have high levels of obesity and higher rates of obesity growth. The results showed that there is more than one-third obesity on average seen on affluent countries.

Professor Avner Offer, the lead study author from Oxford University said that the economic benefits of flexible and open markets are counteracted by its negative effects to personal and public health, which in turn, are often neglected.