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John's primary field of research is health economics; in particular, his research focuses on the economics of obesity. He is investigating the effect of body weight on labor market outcomes such as wage rates, unemployment, employment disability, and the transition from welfare to work. He also studies the role of body weight in adolescent behavior, such as smoking and sexual activity. His other research concerns treatments for obesity, such as anti-obesity drugs and bariatric surgery, and the effectiveness of methods of preventing obesity such as physical education in schools. Recently-initiated research concerns the impact of food advertising on the consumption of specific branded food items by children and youth, and evaluations of school-based interventions to prevent youth obesity.

John’s research has been published in general-interest economics journals (American Economic Review, Review of Economics and Statistics) as well as journals in health economics (Journal of Health Economics, Health Economics), labor economics (Journal of Human Resources, Labour Economics, Industrial Relations) and public policy (Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, Journal of Health Politics, Policy, and Law). He serves as associate editor of the journal Economics and Human Biology.

His research has been supported by grants from the following sources: the National Institute of Diabetes & Digestive & Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health; the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation; the Economic Research Initiative on the Uninsured; the IBM Center for the Business of Government; the Merck Foundation Center on Consumers, Pharmaceutical Policy, and Health; the University of Michigan Retirement Research Consortium; the U. S. Department of Agriculture, Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service; the Institute for the Social Sciences and the Bronfenbrenner Life Course Center at Cornell University; and J. P. Morgan Private Bank Global Philanthropic Services.