Obesity is a growing health concern in today’s society. Not easy to comprehend is how poverty stricken individuals can become obese. It takes money to purchase food therefore one would think individuals in poverty would have less food resulting in underweight conditions. This misunderstanding makes way for resentment when observing the overweight individual using food stamps. It appears this person does not need more food; they are wasting my taxpayer money. As a consequence angry tweets and Facebook postings ensue. Unknown to some people is the relationship between obesity and poverty. Rising costs of fruits and vegetables, falling costs of processed foods, physiological reactions to the mental stresses related to poverty, partnered with lack of nutritional guidance leads to increased obesity in today’s society.
According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), over one third of adults and about 17% of children in the United States are obese (2013). An individual is considered obese when their body mass index (BMI) is greater than 30. Table 1 shows an example BMI calculation using height and weight factors. Obese individuals are at risk for heart disease, diabetes, cancers, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke, liver and gallbladder disease, sleep apnea and respiratory problems, osteoarthritis, and infertility. With over one third of our adult population at risk for these diseases, obesity is an issue of tremendous importance.
There are many areas of cause for obesity in today’s society. Technology has provided decreased necessity for physically demanding jobs along with increased need for sedentary jobs. Additionally technology provided access to more sedentary past times such as watching television or...
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...elter uncertainties. More people are being negatively impacted by rising costs of healthy foods, falling costs of high caloric foods, and by physiological reactions to mental stresses brought on by poverty. Increased poverty has lead to increased obesity.
Works Cited
Center for Disease Control (2013). Overweight and obesity. Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/adult/index.html
Flier, J (1998). What’s in a name? In search of leptin’s physiologic role. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism 1998 83:5, 1407-1413
Hojja, T. (2013). The economic analysis of obesity. Global Conference On Business & Finance Proceedings,8(2), 455-471.
United States Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service (2012). Fruit and vegetable prices, snack substitutions. Retrieved from http://www.ers.usda.gov/data-products/fruit-and-vegetable-prices.aspx#.UuQGeBDn9dg
Furthermore, Abdularhman El-Sayed (2010) also argues that the real reason for the obesity epidemic is down to poverty and cheap food. He describes a study conducted by one university of Glasgow which found that deprived neighbourhoods are twice as likely of becoming obese compare to residents in more affluent neighbourhoods, (El-Sayed 2010).
Ogden, C.L., Carroll, M.D., Kit, B.K., & Flegal, K. M., (2012). Prevalence of obesity and
There is no doubt that obesity has taken its seat as one of the top disease that strikes the world today. In America, obesity has now spread through the country leaving 2 out of 3 adults either overweight or obese, and worldwide 1.5 billion are overweight or obese (Overweight). The cause of this disease stems from multiple reasons such as the increase in modern food production, putting out ample amounts of food causing the prices for meat, groceries, and especially junk food to plummet. Subsequently, Americans especially were more inclined to purchase more food and showed an increase in the average American house hold food intake by 1,000 more calories a day (Dreifus).
Does low socioeconomic status bear a significant role in the obesity epidemic? A national survey conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (2010) estimated that more than two-thirds of Americans are now overweight or obese (body mass index of over 30), and the percentage is escalating. The Census Bureau (2011) reported 46.2 million people in America are currently living beneath the official poverty line. The official poverty rate in 2010 was 15.1 percent; up from 14.3 percent in 2009; this was the third consecutive annual increase in the poverty rate (Census Bureau, 2011). One might assume that obesity and poverty are not associated, but this is not accurate. The correlation between poverty and obesity can be witnessed in the vast majority of the low-income communities amidst the country. Low socioeconomic status influences patterns of eating (food insecurities), and restricts access to healthy and affordable nourishment linking poverty to the soaring obesity epidemic; solutions to lower the risk for obesity in low socioeconomic individuals includes: changing the dynamics of low income communities and second solution is to increase the benefits and participation in Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP).
One of the most insidious “diseases” plaguing our nation is poor nutrition. While obesity is an epidemic, we focus too much on heavy people and not enough on all the others around them that are truly malnourished and yet don’t show any “traditional” signs. These other portions of the population shows their irregular nourishment through high rates of chronic illness and even possibly through mental illness. Just because someone is “this”, does not mean they are nutritionally sound. So while in 10 years’ time almost 50% of our population will be obese, a much higher percentage will be malnourished if we keep on this trend. Inevitably malnourished populations will continue to be a public health crisis through the rise in chronic disease and higher medical costs due to the burden these populations put on the healthcare system. This is why we need to focus on reducing food deserts, increase nutritional education at a young age, and create a culture of mindfulness around cooking and eating whole foods.
According to the US Census Bureau, 46.5 million people were living in poverty in 2012. Among those, 21.8 percent were children. Even more surprising is the staggering number of people who are food insecure. It is estimated that nearly 50 million Americans experience food insecurity during a given year. And yet, the obesity prevalence is skyrocketing. In 2010, 35.9 percent of adults over age 20 were obese, 18.4 percent of adolescents age 12-19 years were obese, 18 percent of children age 6-11 ...
According to the USDA, at the start of century 21st American people have increased their daily caloric intake by consuming five hundred calories more than in 1970. As cited by Whitney & Rolfes (2011), there are many recognized causes of obesity such as genetics, environment, culture, socioeconomic, and metabolism among others; but the cause most evident is that food intake is higher than the calories burned in physical activity. Excess of energy from food is stored in the body as fat causing an increase of weight. During the course of the last 40 years, obesity has grown enormously in the United States and the rates remain on the rise (pgs. 272-273).
Obesity is a major problem in the United States. Fatty foods in our society are viewed as cheap and convenient but these foods are costing the nation billions of dollars. According to the Center of Disease Control (CDC) more than one-third (34.9%) of adults in the United States are obese. The cost of obesity to the United states is estimated to be 147 billion dollars. The yearly medical bills for obese individuals is $1,429 higher than a person of normal weight in the United States. Obesity leads to various illnesses such as diabetes, heart attacks and can even cause death. Fatty foods and obesity produce many spillover cost for the government and society. Some of the spillover costs of obesity include; increased healthcare costs, loss of productivity, low self esteem, and wasted taxpayers dollars.
Since 1970, the obesity rates in America have more than doubled. Currently two-thirds of (roughly 150 million) adults in the United States are either overweight, or obese (Food Research and Action Center). According to the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, “overweight is defined as a body mass index (BMI) greater than 25 whereas obesity is defined as a BMI greater than 30.” There are numerous factors that contribute to obesity such as: biological, behavioral and cultural influences (Food Research and Action Center). While these factors all have a large role in obesity, there is no factor with as great of an influence as poverty.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), obesity now ranks as the 10th most important health problem in the world (“Obesity Seen as a Global Problem”). Childhood obesity has more than doubled in children and tripled in adolescents in the past 30 years. Centers for Disease Control and Protection estimates that obesity contributed to the deaths of 112,000 Americans in 2000 (“Obesity in the U.S. Fast”). It is estimated that annual medical care cost of obesity are as high as $147 billion (“Obesity in the U.S. Fast”). Government-provided food stamps are often expended on junk or fast food, because it tends to be less expensive than fresh or cook food. Governments fund producers of meat and dairy products to keep prices low. For now, governments are taking a smarter and more productive approach through regulation, and by working with manufacturers.
Millions of Americans and people worldwide are overweight or obese. Obesity develops when “calories consumed exceeds calories expended” (“Obesity and Genetics”). “Obesity rates have more than doubled in adults and children since the 1970’s,” and in the present day it is estimated that “two – thirds of U.S. adults are overweight or obese” (Ogden). Being overweight or obese highly increases the risk of deadly health problems, therefore this statistic states that the majority of the United States population is at risk of obtaining life–threatening diseases. Around forty years ago obesity would not effect this abundant number of people; however today’s society consumes more fast food in addition to spending most of their hours doing sedentary activities (Green). There are now many causes of obesity such as environment, genetics, bad habits, culture and economic level. Obesity has many negative impacts on the human body. It can very likely cause diabetes, joint pain, sleeping problems, depression, and many hazardous diseases (“Explore Overweight”). In contrast to this, there are some possible solutions to obesity such as physical activity, dieting, and surgery. Obesity is a widespread epidemic that unfavorably affects the body, but with exercise fused with dieting the disease could be kept to a minimum.
(Jonas Minet, Stephen morris 2010). The prevalence of obesity has increased more than twofold in the last 25 years. In 2014, world health organisation (WHO) estimates that 1.9 billions of world’s adult populations are overweight, of which at least 600 million were obese, representing 13% of adult’s population (obesity WHO, 2014). Obesity is no longer a rich country’s problem, but also affects the poor and emerging countries which make it a major public health challenge. ( )
Over the course of the last few decades, the U.S. has seen a drastic rise in the spread of obesity. Through the rise of large-scale fast food corporations, the blame has shifted toward the mass consumerism of these global industries. It is, however, due to poor lifestyle choices that the U.S. population has seen a significant increase in the percentage of people afflicted with obesity. In 1990 the percentage of obese people in the United States was approximated at around 15%. In 2010, however, it is said that “36 states had obesity rates of 25 percent or higher”(Millar). These rates have stayed consistent since 2003. The obesity problem in America is
Modern poverty is so closely related with obesity for many reasons. First of all, poor people are ignorant and uneducated about their health and nutrition. Obviously, because of that they don’t really know what they are doing or even how they are taking the risk of eating some kinds of food. Poor people go for good tasting food without paying attention to the food’s freshness and safety. Moreover, children grow up without a proper understanding of good nutrition, so it is time to reintroduce nutrition to families and even in schools to kids. Second of all, poor people cannot afford buying healthy food. A person who is poor and hungry is going to buy the cheapest calories that he or she could find. In fact in today’s world, the cheapest calories come from junk food. It is cheaper and ...
...system approximately $44 billion dollars annually (CDC). Obesity is defined as having a BMI of 29.5 or higher and is associated with inducing secondary diseases and illnesses that are not always irreversible. The impacts of the disease (or diseases) can afflict suffers with mental illnesses (anxiety, low confidence, depression,) or poorer IQ as children. Combining these together can produce a lower socio-economic status and inspire other problems related to that. Such as housing, careers, quality of life, financial troubles, that is hard to bring oneself out of alone. By offering support or putting together organizations coupled with self-determination we can assist those with obesity. Combined with employer incentives, mediation, and increased physical activity along with reduction in high caloric foods the rates of obesity and obesity related illnesses could drop.