Relationship Between Poverty and Obesity Essay

Obesity does not discriminate against social status, sex, or race; it can take a person’s life and turn it upside down in the blink of an eye if they are not careful. Some people think of obesity as a worldwide killer because there is no outrunning it if it overtakes a person’s body. Every 1 in 3 adults are obese right here in America, that should give each and every individual some type of hint that there is a major problem occurring. The obesity epidemic is not something that has just caught the attention of people recently; it has been going on since the 1950’s! This epidemic is a major problem; over 2.8 million people die each year as a result of being obese or extremely overweight and over 40 million children were said to be obese in

In the documentary film “Fed Up”, sugar and the sweeteners in our food or beverages is featured to be the prime ingredient that is making the most of our adolescents obese. It tells of a few families struggling with obesity, and how these families have been trying to do everything they can to help their children lose weight. It shows what kind of food that they are eating at home and the weight problem that most of the family is struggling with. The food that is being served at schools and also the thousands of products that contain sugar, everywhere groceries are bought; sugar is the main cause for obesity. It tells that low wage earners have no choice, but to buy unhealthy food, because healthier food cost more. “The bottom line: cheap, unhealthy foods mixed with a sedentary lifestyle has made obesity the new normal in America. There is no single, simple answer to explain the obesity patterns in America, says Walter Willett, who chairs the department of nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health” article in the U. S. News. Although it does cost more, a school of public health wrote in an article, “While healthier diets did cost more, the difference was smaller than many people might have expected. Over the course of a year, $1.50/day more for eating a healthy diet would increase food costs for one person by about $550 per year. On the other hand, this price difference is very small in comparison to the economic costs of diet-related chronic diseases, which would be

According to Wall Street Journal, “More than 33% of adults who earn less than $15,000 per year were obese, compared with 24.6% of those who earn at least $50,000 per year.” (Izzo 2011) Processed foods such as cheeseburger or French fries tend to be cheaper than buying healthier ingredients and making home cooked food. When people have lower incomes, they do suffer from food insecurity, which is an important connection between poverty and obesity. Two reasons can contribute to obesity: parents are working and are no longer at home with their children and therefore not able to cook balanced meals; and foods with high fat are cheaper than healthy foods.

Anthony, A., & Reeves, D, (2010, December 4). Obesity and low Income in Corpus Christi [Video File]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROdyxEBrC8M C

Over the last thirty years, there has been an increase in the widespread presence of childhood obesity, as reported by the American Obesity Association (AOA) in Eliadis’ (2006) commentary article. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), childhood obesity “is now considered the number one nutritional public health concern of children and adolescents in the United States” (Sealy, Y., & Farmer, G., 2011). Individuals living in high-poverty neighborhoods; along with multiple other risk factors; have an increased rate of overall physical health disparities and inequalities (Komro, K.A., Flay, B.R. Bigland, A., 2011). This paper examines eight peer reviewed articles of research, studies and statistical data on childhood obesity in high-poverty neighborhoods and highlights the social worker’s role in the epidemic of childhood obesity.

The sociological aspect of obesity shown through the impact of families, the government and the economy. The rapidly growing, fast-paced, technological society creates an epidemic of sorts. Families pursue the use of technology, restaurants and fast-paced eating as well as single parenting and parental denial. The government sets a significant health care cost to obesity, which prevents a solution and increases risks. A non-stable economy brings about a society filled with unemployment or multiple jobs as well as both parents working to stay above absolute or relative poverty leading to distractions from a healthy lifestyle. Obesity is a concern, not just for an individual but also for

It is said that obesity can be caused by not knowing how to combat and prevent this common disease before it begins in poverty stricken areas. Additionally the availability of nutritious food choices and the means to have safe active life style are not available to those who suffer from poverty due to financial and educational disadvantages. Obesity is not just a class problem, but financially disadvantaged people that lack access to quality food will inevitably turn to high calorie processed foods that will stretch their food dollar.

So there is a trend, but why are those with low incomes more susceptible to obesity? There are many factors. Low income areas lack in resources that produce healthy options. Residents are limited to convenience stores that have limited selection of healthy, affordable foods. Lack of transportation limits low income families because they cannot drive to the grocery store very often. In the occasional trips that they do make, they have to buy foods that will keep for a long time, until they are able to shop again. Preservatives in food generally make for unhealthy meals. “Households with limited resources to buy enough food often try to stretch their food budgets by purchasing cheap, energy-dense foods that are filling – that is, they try to maximize their calories per dollar in order to stave off hunger (frac.org, 2014).” For those who have no transportation, they may not even have the opportunity to travel to the social services office to sign up for food assistance.

While obesity and overweight levels have been rising for all socioeconomic groups, some groups of people are more affected than others. Relationships between socioeconomic status and obesity undoubtedly have complex explanations. Some studies have shown that people with low socioeconomic status are more likely to be overweight or obese than people with high socioeconomic status. Author also emphasizes that socioeconomic status causes disparities in health and shorten longevity for those who are most disadvantaged. The relationship between overweight or obesity and income is varies by race and ethnicity. For example, in a household with less than $10,000 of annual income about 33 percent of blacks are obese, about 26 percent of Hispanics, and about 19 percent of whites. Culture, race and ethnicity play an important role in determining the obesity rate. Critser emphasizes certain studies that show minority groups tend to have drastically higher obesity and weight related disease rates than

Modern society is dealing with a health crisis that has been on the rise for years. Ongoing

Over 60 million people are obese in the world today. The socioeconomic statuses of the Americans play a major part in the obesity rates across the country. People with higher incomes are less likely to be obese than people with lower incomes. One in every seven preschool-aged children living in lower income areas are obese (Center for Disease Control and Prevention). A 2008 study showed that obesity is highest among American Indian and Alaska Native (21.2 percent) and Hispanic Americans (18.5 percent) children, and it is lowest

There is a growing epidemic of obesity in the United States. Obesity is a health condition of an individual significantly above his or her ideal healthy weight. People with a body mass index (BMI) of 30 or higher are considered obese (ANA, 2014). Dietary patterns, physical activity and inactivity are contributing factors to obesity. According to the (CDC) obesity results in type II diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, various cancers and other health problems. Obesity is reported to be one of the leading preventable causes of mortality in our nation, more than one-third (36.5%) adults have obesity, nearly one in three (31.8%) U.S children (23.9 million) ages 2-19 are overweight or obese (CDC, 2017). We are faced with many challenges when it comes to adequately responding to this issue. Although this issue is alarmingly high in all socioeconomic groups, some groups are affected more than others (Ogden, Carroll, Kit, & Flegal, 2012). Economic status is based of income, education and occupation, this usually reflects the communities we live in. Lower income families are usually impacted the most when it comes to obesity due to the lack of

Researcher James Levin’s “Poverty and Obesity in the U.S” from American Diabetes Association, research about the Obesity and Diabetes in Poverty counties/reigns of the United States. Levin believes poverty and obesity are linked to each other. According to Levin’s research “ People in America who live in the most poverty-dense counties are those most prone to obesity. ” . There are many reason that link poverty to obesity, but Levin believes lack of fresh food and inactivity has a huge role in chronic metabolic disease (obesity and diabetes), and cardiovascular death. People who

In Recent times more people have been making less money, and with healthy food prices being raised and/or being expensive, many lower-income families have a higher rate of becoming obese in the U.S. A nice salad with water may cost a lot more money than a hamburger with soda, lower-income families have to buy the cheaper, more unhealthy meals to keep their family members alive; although it may just be killing them as much as not getting fed at all. Childhood obesity has more than tripled in just under 40 years. In 2011-2012 about 17% of children and teenager were obese. Latino children have a higher chance of being obese than other U.S. youth, 40.7% of Latino children are obese, African American children, 23.8% and Caucasian children, 27.8%. Male children are more inclined to be obese, at 29% of male adolescents being obese and for females 27% are obese. Children who don’t exercise have a higher chance of becoming obese, while children who do are usually more healthy. Children on vegetarians and vegan diets are genuinely more healthy and fit; children who snack a lot, don’t pay

Many people believe the American government to be corrupt and run by people who do not deserve the positions they are in and while this may be true, there are bad facts that point in their direction when it comes to certain things. One of those things includes the epidemic of obesity ultimately linked to poverty caused by the government and the food industry that is run by the government as well. Over a short amount of time the American government managed to sink their claws into the food industry, turning it into something it should never have become and making farmers poor in the process. As the government digs into the industry more and more, it makes