Being Poor Is Hazardous to One's Health

In other words, America has a widening gap between its wealthy and poor. As the rich get richer and the poor get poorer, there is a problem emerging: the disappearance of the middle class. Low-wage workers continue to fall behind those who make higher wages, and this only widens the gap between the two. There has been an economic boom in the United States, which has made the country more prosperous than it has ever been. That prosperity does not reach all people; it seems to only favor the rich. Rising economic segregation has taken away many opportunities for the poor to rise in America today. The poor may find that the economic boom has increased their income; however, as their income increase so does the prices they must for their living expenses (Dreier, Mollenkopf, & Swanstrom 19).

On the physical side, some of the ways in which poverty contributes to poor health are very obvious. The principal reason how poverty affects individuals is that it prevents them from buying food, which in turn, leads to hunger that eventually turns into malnourishment. Malnutrition can be very dangerous for the human

The view that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer has been heard repeatedly in reference to America’s income inequality. Though ironic, it comes as no surprise that America, a continent that easily trumps other countries in terms of wealth would be affected by the issue of poverty at such high levels. While much has said regarding the poverty levels, many economists, educators and scholars feel that the income inequality in America may be the reason why it is difficult to live and maintain a middle class lifestyle or to rise out of poverty into the middle class in the current economic state. With this in mind, the only way America, has a chance of lessening or eliminating poverty altogether is by understanding how it exists.

In the online news source, The Atlantic, an article was created entitled “Poverty Is Literally Making People Sick Because They Can’t Afford Food”. In the article, the author, Matthew O’Brien, states that because some people live under the national poverty line then they cannot afford any food. He also states that because they cannot afford as much food, then they always contract illness. He continues by saying that the diseases could be dangerous. He then states that the only way to prevent this is to give more money to government welfare and other programs meant to fight poverty. After thoroughly reading the article and putting in a great amount of time researching the topics he presented, I must disagree with many of the points that he presented in his work.

Having a low income can lead to poor to health, because you won’t have access or opportunities for better health, such as safe homes, nutritious foods and good schools. “Income may not be the strongest risk factor for any particular disease or outcome, but it’s a risk factor for all of them.” (Krisberg, 2017)

Those who live in poorer communities often suffer from greater ill health while those living in deprived areas are often without access to the best health care. This lack of prevention stems from poor education often received in those areas and the culture that often permeates within them.

What must the U.S. economy look like, when viewed through the everyday experiences of the working poor? Is America the land of opportunity or simply an economic trap from which there is little chance of escape? Taking a short view of the economy, where one low-wage job looks much like another and mobility is a challenge, the working poor are in an economic vise; squeezed by high prices for basic commodities like housing, food and gasoline on one end and unable to change their basic job situation on the other.

It's hard to believe in a country as wealthy as the United States, that we have the problem of poverty. Poverty has not become a recent problem of our

Many reforms in the UnitedStates have been passed to help fight against the “War on Poverty”; but it has not been effective in eradicating poverty in the U.S. There are about 46 million people who are living in impoverished conditions and poverty continues to be a social issue in this country (Heritage Foundation, 2011) In the beginning, our country was formed under the belief that “this land is the land of opportunity and if we worked hard enough the American Dream can be gained” (Schwarz, 1997). People immigrate to this country today in hopes of becoming rich so they could gain a better life. In spite of coming to this country for a better life, many are faced with the lack of skills and money to succeed. In the end, most will end

People living in poverty think about what their next meal is or how they are going to feed their child. Poverty makes a person mentally stress causing them to have depression. The depression then leads to drugs or alcohol which is bringing them down. “Poor black men won't support their families, won't stick by their women -- all they think about is the street, dope and liquor, women, a piece of ass, and their cars. That's all that counts” (). Poverty impacts the individual’s health because they can’t afford the healthy food because it is expensive. The individual will purchase the white bread because it is cheaper but, they know it is not that healthy. People living in poverty might not buy that many fruits and vegetables. Not eating healthy leads to being obese or other health problems. “Poverty and illness together make people much more vulnerable and needy at all stages of their lives, and even more so in old age. Mental health is often both a cause and a consequence of poverty, compromised education, vulnerability, difficulty accessing housing, health-care and employment, and lack of access to welfare, social security, and community public

Even though having the “poor class” is a necessary evil needed for society to function, most Americans, at some point in time, will experience what it is like to live in poverty or live below the poverty line. One main reason for having a high percentage of people living in poverty is because the U.S. policy makers have ignored the poor and have given tax breaks to those with a much higher income. Funding for welfare was slashed and extended unemployment benefits were ended. With little success with the economic reform the United States has been going through for the past five years, about 14.5 percent of Americans are still living under the poverty line.

Poverty is “the state or condition of having little or no money, goods, or means of support; condition of being poor” (Dictionary.com, 2017). Based off this definition poverty is a condition that can cause a cascade of cause and effect actions that is detrimental to families and individuals both physically and mentally. Haan, Kaplan, & Camacho (2017) completed a study on the correlation between social and economic status and health in adults in Oakland, CA. They found that the lower the socioeconomic class the higher incidents of diseases and deaths related to chronic diseases (p.1161-1162). Just being without money or little money was not the only indication of health indication, a person living in an area with higher poverty issues

This essay will discuss ways in which a person’s socioeconomic class and his/her social situation can have an impact on his/her health, using examples. We believe that there is a direct link between socioeconomic/social class and health (Adler et al. 1994). I will be defining the key terms: socioeconomic and health, social class then proceed to discuss about how poverty, income, employability, environment and housing can impact on a person’s social situation and their health.

The black report found that people of a lower social class are less likely to use health services and screening such as visiting the dentist, immunisation, family planning and antenatal care. Going to see a doctor is a more “middle class” thing to do and people who are in a lower class have a more “toughen up” attitude towards being ill. Middle and upper class people tend to spend longer with the doctors as they “speak” the same language they maybe more educated to understand the scientific terminology that the doctor uses. Lower class people may feel their lifestyles will be judged by health professionals and looked down upon, this leads to ill health left untreated and will cause it to get worse. Often poverty stricken people never get the help they need and die from an illness that could have been cured if it was treated. This leads to shorter life expectancy’s and more cases illnesses amongst the

For example a person living in a deprived council estate, with a very low income has been proven to be more at risk of developing health issues compared to someone from a higher social class as there is a strong correlation between poverty and ill health. This has been backed up by (WHO, 1946) that state that ‘poverty creates ill-health because it forces people to live in environments that make them sick.’