Economics of Obesity: Health as a Luxury Good

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

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.

KRAKOW, POLAND- According to an alarming new study published Friday by the Federation of Abnormalities in Thickness, the percentage of obese Americans over the age of twenty has just hit 40%. This growing obesity epidemic has been called one of the heaviest issues in modern day society. "I don't understand why those in rich, developed nations like the US or the UK get to gorge themselves with lavish delicacies every day, while in Eastern civilizations, people are forcing dirt down their throat simply to survive." said Winnie Woltrap, celebrity spokesperson for FAT. "So why is food still being handed to the already obese Americans while the millions of starving people in Africa have bellies full of worms?"

Socio-economic status and obesity also relate. A concerning problem is that buying a burger off of the dollar menu can actually be cheaper than buying fruits and vegetables. It has actually become easier and more affordable to buy unhealthy foods such as fast foods and processed foods. In low-income areas, schools also tend to serve unhealthy processed foods in the cafeteria. It has become much more difficult for the poor to access healthy ingredients so they turn to cheap processed foods. The correlation between socio-economic status and income is shown by the fact that Mississippi, the poorest state in America, has the highest obesity rate in the nation (Berl, Rachel).

In this case, socioeconomic factors, especially education and income, are key contributors to poor nutrition and lifestyle behaviors. Greg Critser points out studies which show that the effects of socioeconomic status on disparities are stronger than those of race and ethnicity . Regardless of which characteristic might be a stronger contributor to diet-related disparities, the significance of socioeconomic factors cannot be exaggerated. For example, level of education impacts knowledge of dietary recommendations and skills to make healthy food choices , while income influences whether a person have access to healthier foods at a price they can afford. When people move from middle to low socioeconomic status food choices shift toward cheaper, but more energy-dense foods. Low socioeconomic status leads to consuming high calorie food and avoiding physical

Over the past few decades, obesity rate has grown drastically in the United States. “A third of U.S. adults are obese” (Brady 519), placing them at a higher risk for diseases, and increased healthcare spending. It a preventable nutritional problem that affects people of all ages, gender and race, with minority groups and people of low socioeconomic status disproportionately affected. It is a multifaceted problem with many issues at its root. Obesity is the result of our agricultural policies, present economic condition, and unhealthy lifestyle.

America is the wealthiest country in the world, but it is also home to some of the hungriest people. According to the IMF’s advanced economy countries on Food Insecurity, America rank’s the worst (a place at the table). Similar to the rest of the world, the majority of the hungry in America are those with a low socioeconomic status; however, the hunger in America is not due to lack of food but lack of nutrition. The people who are poverty stricken in America are also commonly affected by obesity due to lack of income and education. Though it may seem to be a paradox, hunger and obesity run hand-in-hand. Often times

When thinking of poverty, many people first think of third world countries like Africa. What people may not know is the amount of people living in the United States in poverty, especially children. There are over sixteen million children living in poverty; the poverty line is considered to be below $23,550 a year for a family of four. The amount of children living in poverty today is twenty-two percent of all children in the United States (“Child Poverty”). With such a large number of people in the country in fiscally unstable environments, it can easily be seen that they also are susceptible to other problems; one major concern being obesity. Two major contributors to this problem are poor nutrition, because of the lack of nutritious

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.

While 34 percent people in the United States are obese, almost one out of every six households will find themselves fearful sometime in a year of not having sufficient amount of food to eat. Truly, these problem are not related to any specific one race or gender, and they are not simply due to faults of willpower or personnel discipline. As author mentioned they are symptoms of a broken food system.

The findings from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which was the most comprehensive study conducted so far in an attempt to document the nutritional status of the United States population, found that low-income children and adolescents are more likely to be obese than their higher income counterparts, also, reports have shown a higher prevalence of obesity among low-income adults. Studies showed that more than one-third of adults who earn less than $15,000 annually were obese, compared to twenty-five percent of adults who earned more than $50,000 a year. Much of this obesity is because of the fact that unhealthy food is a lot cheaper than healthy food.

Although, fat tax could have its cons it would really help the obesity rate in America. What is obesity? Obesity is illness when one suffers from having excess body fat from genetics or bad dieting. (Obesity action). Many health conditions play a huge factor in obesity such as, heart diseases, strokes, diabetes, high blood pressure and cholesterol. There is many things that causes one to be obese. Perhaps the environment one keeps themselves in! If they are used to a fast paced lifestyle, always on the go then they are prone to eat unhealthy because they won’t have time to cook. Let alone getting any exercise, because no one walks to places anymore we drive and that allows us easier access to fast food. Also if they live in a poor and depressive

Today's world is full of modern conveniences. Communication is at the touch of a button, you can drive right to the window and get handed a greasy, hot meal, and even walking has become bothersome. Trying to find that spot closest to the door is worth driving around the lot five times. Kids play more in virtual reality than outdoors, and parents who are strapped for time settle on quick, processed meals for dinner. Unfortunately, we've created an environment fit for the lazy. Instead of having to preform physical activities to function throughout the day, we must find time for physical activity, which might not be realistic for everyone. The fast food industry and quick processed dinners feed the consumer with no time for exercise, and the

ITV NEWS (2016), claims "The UK is the second most obese countries in Europe." It 's predicted that in the year 20130, the number of overweight in men is going to rise to 74%, 64% in women and the proportion of obese people would be 36% in men and 33% in women. Presently, diabetes cost over £ 1.5 million per hour or £25,000 pounds a minute, which predicted to reach to £4 million by 2025. An increase in the proportion of obesity is not just a rise in diseases, but it is also going to worsen the economy. This essay intends to analyse causes and which society sectors should be taking the responsibility to help reduce the number of obesity.

Society’s impact on obesity may not be very recognized. The move from agrarian to industrialized life-styles and the implementation of the 7-day work week has changed not only the access to physical activity and food but the structure of these same daily activities. Combined with the increase in low cost transportation the decline of physical activity in highly industrialized nations these associations have been well documented as being