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Social issues in obesity
Contributing factors to obesity
Social issues in obesity
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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).
The Food Research and Action Center (FRAC) (2012) stated that “obesity plagues low-income people in this country just as hunger and food insecurity do” (para. 4). Due to predetermined budgets and the proliferating cost of food, individuals will sporadically condense their intake or omit meals to extend their food budget. This manner or pattern of consuming food triggers people to overindulge when sustenance does become obtainable, resulting in habitual ups and downs in food consumption that prom...
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...., Story, M., & Nelson, M. (2009). Neighborhood environments: Disparities in access to healthy foods in the U.S. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 36(1), Pages 74-81.e10.
Pollan, M. (2006). The omnivore's dilemma. New York: Penguin Group.
Census Bureau. (2011, December 14). Social, Economic, and Housing Statistics Division: Poverty . Retrieved March 16, 2012, from Census Bureau: http://www.census.gov/hhes/www/poverty/
Farm and Food Policy Project. (2007, March). Making healthy food more accessible for low‐income people. Retrieved from Farm and Food Policy Project: http://www.farmandfoodproject.org/
Food Research and Action Center. (2012, February). A Review of Strategies to Bolster SNAP’s Role in Improving Nutrition as well as Food Security. Retrieved from Food Research and Action Center: http://frac.org/wp-content/uploads/2011/06/SNAPstrategies.pdf
Looking at how food deserts and swamps are more prevalent in lower class neighborhoods we can start to see the inequality, in terms of healthy food availability, between social classes. Shouldn’t something as important as healthy food be available to everyone? One would think yes but for the underclass the idea of “healthy food” can be somewhat of a foreign concept. The principle of equality has long been closely associated with idea of fairness. In Erika Blackshear’s article, Public Values, Health Inequality, and Alternative Notions of a “Fair” Response, she examines the publics values as they relate to social inequalities in health. In the article, she states “people are owed roughly equal prospects for a good life, including prospects for
Obesity in children is a growing crisis in our society. It has become an alarming concern for both communities and health care organizations. There are a number of ways to improve eating habits and encourage healthier choices. Making healthier foods accessible in groceries stores is one example. Our First Lady, Michelle Obama used the following quote during her speech in Chicago to call attention to the lack of healthy food stores in some communities in Chicago. She proclaims that it is a community matter and every one must be involve to make changes. Without change in the community individuals will not have opportunities to make healthier food choice .
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 among white (12.6 percent), Asian or Pacific Islander (12.3 percent), and black (11.8 percent) children (Get America Fit).
This campaign, launched by First Lady Michelle Obama, is aimed to solve the challenge of obesity in this generation’s children (“Let’s Move”). This campaign targets, not just the families, but also schools and communities to improve the environment for children to strive and become healthier. Starting with the family, the program discusses the important fact that children will eat better if they are surrounded by healthier food. Having the parents modeling good behavior and eating the healthier food influences the children and they too will eat the healthier food. They also include tips for how to eat healthier such as mixing vegetables into dishes, substituting fat-free milk or water instead of soda or other sweeter beverages, and substituting desserts for fruit, saving the “treats” for special occasions. In addition, eating as a family is seen to help with obesity because it creates structure in eating and decreases the snacking children have throughout the day (“Let’s Move”). In regards to school, by having the children participate in the National School Lunch Program, as well as the School Breakfast Program, the children are able to have a nutritious meal at a reduced cost or even free. Having options, such as a salad bar, and multiple options for children to choose from that are not just healthy but also delicious, will also help children see that eating healthy is not as atrocious as they perceived. Lastly, with the community in mind, the program, along with the U.S. Departments of Treasury, Agriculture, and Health and Human Services, is providing financing to develop grocery stores, farmers markets and corner stores capable of supplying and selling healthy food in underserved communities to eliminate food deserts. Many markets are even participating in WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) and the
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 Dolgoff and Feldstein (2003), “the needs and goals of the Food Stamp Program are to alleviate hunger and malnutrition by enabling low-income households to buy a nutritious adequate diet” (p. 132). The program also improved the market for local merchants to produce food for eligible low-income households and other agencies such as the School Lunch Program which safeguard the health and wel...
The obesity epidemic and our nation’s health as a whole have many factors that include socioeconomic status in particular. Socioeconomic Status and Childhood Obesity will always shape our nations vision and mission with what we do with healthcare. Healthcare in America is in a major reconstruction faze, and is in much need of it, obesity and socioeconomic status are going to be the major contributors to this reconstruction.
Low socio-economic status and its correlates, such as lower education, poverty, and poor health, affect our society as a whole. Inequities in wealth distribution, resource distribution, and quality of life are increasing in the United States and globally. There are many ways to fight this reality, and some a far simpler and more practically applied than others. One smart and simple change may be adapted immediately. It has the possibility to drastically impact the quality of life with those of lower socio-economic status. The proposed change would be to alter the list of foods covered in Americas supplemental nutritional assistance program ( or SNAP), as it could dramatically impact the health of those most likely to suffer from heart disease which is currently the leading cause of death in the United states (AHA). Currently “SNAP benefits can be used to purchase all food products, not including: beer, wine, liquor, cigarettes, or tobacco; any nonfood items; vitamins and medicines; foods that will be eaten in the store; or hot foods” (snap.org). The S.N.A.P. program should instead, be only available for use when paying for healthy foods because this policy change would provide better nutritional, medical and economic value to the U.S.
Childhood obesity and diabetes have become increasingly common among youth in our country. Over the last 30 years, obesity among children and adolescents in the U.S has quadrupled from 6 percent to 24 percent, and over 18,000 children are diagnosed with diabetes every year. This can largely be attributed to not having enough access to healthy nutritious foods, such as fresh produce. In most low-income communities families are restricted to the use of small convenience stores and low-quality grocers which are typically not equipped to sell these foods because they cannot afford to purchase them. Almost 90 percent of Americans do not eat enough fruits and vegetables. There are many reasons for this, but a major reason is because so many families are food
Health Education Journal, June 2000, vol. 59. No. of the. 2 137-149 Ploeg, M.; Breneman, V.; Farrigan, T.; Hamrick, K.; Hopkins, D.; Kaufman, P.; Lin, B. H.; Nord, M.; Smith, T.; Williams, R.; Kinnison, Access to affordable and nutritious food measuring and understanding food deserts and their consequences : report to Congress (Rev. Sept. 3, 2009] ed.). (2009). The 'Standard' of the 'Standard'. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Dept. of Labor.
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.
Many people here in America are hardworking and resourceful, but an insecure economy can have a long-lasting effect on a diverse group of people. One of the greatest manifestations of this is the inability to consistently afford a healthy diet. In a report by done by researchers in the U.S. Department of Agriculture, ‘in 2011, 14.9 percent or 17.9 million people in America were food insecure (Coleman-Jensen, Nordic, Andrews, & Carlson, 2012).’ Although many different organizations such as the “Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program,” or the SNAP food stamp program has set out to eradicate hunger, by giving assistance to low income participants, to help them afford food, it does still exist in many different people’s lives, at one point or another. While many other underdeveloped countries have harder times with hunger, many of them, due to socioeconomic difficulties, hunger still causes many problems for different people in America.
This essay will discuss obesity in America and the statistical data found surrounding the subject. This is an interesting and personal topic and something very interesting to learn about. The essay will cover different vantage points of obesity including obesity’s relationship to poverty in the U.S., parents’ fight for more physical activity in schools to combat childhood obesity, statistical data about America’s obese population and even a spurious correlation between obesity and sleep duration in children.
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).
Obesity and overweight remain the two major social problems in the United States. Apart from the fact that obesity and overweight are dangerous by themselves, they also cause a variety of negative health consequences. Our lives our overloaded with tasks and obligations, and we often choose to eat something fast. “Fast”, however, does not necessarily imply “useful”, and more and more people face the risks of becoming obese even at young age. Because obesity has already become a national i...