Low Socioeconomic Communities

Obesity rates in the US are rising due to food insecurity. One in six people in the U.S. are food insecure, while two-thirds of adults and one-third Americans are overweight or obese.14 Studies have found that wealthy districts have three times as many supermarkets compared to the poor.15 Kevin Conocannon of the USDA noted in an interview that people in poorer areas sometimes have narrower variety of food options.16 SNAP recipients face barriers to achieving nutritious diets due to lack of availability in their neighborhood. Healthy food often comes with higher costs, so most people with lower income result to eating foods with lower cost and higher calories. According to a 2009 report by the USDA, as many as 23.5 million Americans live more than one mile from a supermarket with limited access to a vehicle.17 Food Deserts are particularly prevalent in low-income communities.18

In both suburban and rural areas, public transportation is either unavailable or very limited, with grocery stores miles away from residents’ homes. In cases where public transportation is unavailable people are left with little to no options and must conform to the unhealthy foods due to convenience. If there is a McDonald’s on the corner of a street near you and a Burger King or KFC on the opposite street, it is pretty easy to assume that those will become a person with no transportation’s only options for food. They really do not have much of choice if the nearest grocery store is miles away and these fast food restaurants are within walking distance.

Individuals of higher income levels often have private insurance that allows them to see a physician on a regular basis. These individuals are able to prevent many diseases before they exacerbate. They often eat low fat diets or plant based diets. They are educated on their nutritional health and often make better choices when choosing the different types foods to eat. Due to their income, they can afford to eat healthy food and make healthy food choices. Even though these individuals may be predisposed to certain diseases, their diets prevent them from becoming prevalent in their lives. Due to the individual’s socioeconomic status they make enough money that they don’t stress about the necessities in life. These individuals live in areas such as Roswell, Johns Creek. Alpharetta, Buckhead, Kennesaw, and Stockbridge. Individuals of a poor economic status have limited access to healthcare. These individuals often have Medicaid, Medicare, or no health insurance at all. They often eat diets that are high in fat. Individuals of poor economic status aren’t often educated about eating healthy. They often eat unhealthy because it is too expensive to eat healthy. These individuals often receive government subsidiaries such as WIC and SNAP benefits for themselves and their children. There aren’t many healthy food stores if any at all in these neighborhoods. Stores such as Whole Foods, Sprout, and Trader Joe’s aren’t located in poverty stricken communities because the individuals can’t afford the prices. It is a disadvantage that the grocery chains in the neighborhood don’t offer the resident a healthier option. Individuals of poor economic status often fight chronic illnesses such as high blood pressure, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and often cancer. They often live sedentary lifestyles that contribute to these diseases. They eat diets that are high in red meats one that contributes to

“The food desert concept suggests that the absence of major food outlets in inner-city neighborhoods prohibits consumption of healthy food, thus highlighting geography as a key constraint in food access.” (Kato and McKinney 216) It is unfair that low-income families are targeted by food deserts but it is how society is formed. Most food markets are found located in low-income African American communities. This was the vocal research points in Naa Oyo Kwate’s “Fried chicken and fresh apples: Racial segregation as a fundamental cause of fast food density in black neighborhoods” “In the US, predominantly Black neighborhoods often embody the characteristics of food deserts, where ‘it is easier to get fried chicken than a fresh apple’.” (Kwate 34) The placement of fast food restaurants in comparison to healthy food places is unfair and forces low-income family to consume unhealthy foods. It essentially leads to shorter lives and less and less people in the lower social classes. It is almost as if the higher classes plot to make their money and kill off the low-end families. Kato and Kwate revealed the truth behind the locations of food deserts across the United States. Food deserts are more likely to be seen in black and minority

Many areas in the United States contain an abundance of neighborhoods that function with little to no healthy food sources nearby because of the large number of people in poverty. With the fleeing number of locally owned grocery stores and convenient fast food restaurants sprouting in urban and rural areas, residents do not have an adequate quantity of fruits and vegetables readily available. The City of Baltimore defines a food desert as “an area where the distance to a supermarket is more than one quarter of a mile; the median household income is at or below 185 percent of the Federal Poverty Level; over 30 percent of households have no vehicle available; and the average Healthy Food Availability Index score [convenience stores, corner stores, and supermarkets] is low” (Food Deserts). Baltimore City today “ranks second among similarly sized cities for the number of low-income people living in food insecure areas” (Freishtat, 2014). Leaving eight percent of white Baltimoreans living in food deserts compared to the 35 percent of black Baltimoreans, and 30 percent of children living in food deserts in Baltimore alone (Buczynski, 2015).

A proponderance of statistics derived from scholarly sources corroborates the notion that minorities who have a low socioeconomic position or have an significantly low income suffers many atrocious health disparities this includes obesity, diabetes and cardiovascular diseases thus projecting a direct correlation between the two variables. In addition, minorities, specifically African-Americans that live in low income neighborhoods have less access to fresh, healthy and organic foods. In particular, supermarkets are sparse in their area and sometimes is not within walking distance or within the vicinity of their homes. On the flipside, these neighborhoods have the highest levels of fast-food restaurants and convenient stores. These barriers

Individuals who live in low-income areas have to rely heavily on fast food and cheap food from convenience stores because it is the only food close and affordable to them. People in poor neighborhoods are, “Confronted with a high concentration of poor diet choices” and, “End up eating a less healthy diet” because, “Few markets” offer, “Fresh fruit and vegetables” (Cortright 1). Even if

(2004) in which surveillance of two communities, East Harlem (low economic status, predominantly minority) and Upper East Harlem (high economic status, mostly whites), was performed. The research purpose was to determine the availability and cost of healthy food for people with diabetes within these communities. Five food items that are recommended for people with diabetes were chosen and placed in different stores within the two communities. The stores that they were placed in was bodegas and large supermarkets, which was licensed as certified markets by the state of NY. The nutrition value of the food, the cost, cultural acceptability and how ease and quickness of identifying the item on the store's shelves were taken into account. The surveyor's job was to document if at least one or more item out of the five was present in the stores. The results were tally individually, then collectively. The comparisons between the individuals and the group findings were made to alleviate discrepancies. Before noting any discrepancies, a reliability test was performed. The X2 test was used to verify the different of the prevalence of desirable and undesirable based on neighborhood and store sizes. A store was rated desirable it has one out of five of the item and undesirable if it did not have

The lack of access to and availability of health food has always been a Public Health issue, affecting many lives, particularly the underserved population. The presence of small corner stores in inner cities that carry unhealthy food items has been linked with increased risk of chronic diseases and obesity. The inner cities in New York with low-income and minority communities have a large number of corner stores in close proximity to the neighborhoods and fewer number of grocery stores as well as supermarkets at a distance from the neighborhood. The owners of the corner stores in the inner city neighborhoods have very limited knowledge about the health benefits associated with the consumption of highly nutritious food. They are also unaware of the health consequences associated with the consumption of unhealthy food. Without any knowledge about health and food, these corner stores are simply

There are more fast food places to go to than there are supermarkets and grocery stores. David himself writes," I guarantee you'll see one of our country's more than 13,000 Mcdonald's restaurants. Now, drive back up the block and try to find someplace to buy a grapefruit." David points out the unequal balance of fast foods compared to healthier options throughout the nation. An individual can easily walk down the street and buy fast foods, but if they want to purchase healthier foods at a supermarket they will need to go farther away from home. These "food deserts" cause individuals like David to purchase from fast food restaurants due to the lack of healthy alternatives. Fast food joints are everywhere, an individual can walk down the street and locate at least 2-3 locations, but when asked where are the grocery stores they are nowhere in sight. Considering, the fact that low income communities have the highest rate of obesity, the lack of healthier options contributes to the obesity

In the general population, childhood obesity has increased considerably in the current times compared to two decades ago and certain ethnic communities and races have inexplicably been affected (Rippo & Angelopoulos, 2016). Kovner and Knickman (2011) state the health status of the people varies across racial and ethnic groups in the United States. Obesity among African American children has become a major point of concern in the modern society. It is evident that there are four times fewer supermarkets and lack of affordable food in the African American predominant areas compared to white neighborhoods (Whitsel, 2015). Increase the availability of healthier foods by opening more Supermarkets in the

“Food is life. It is necessity and pleasure, family and community, culture and power.” Food is what lets us take a break during the day, and most importantly, healthy food gets us ready and energized for the busy day ahead. However, many Americans do not have access to healthy foods. Many low-income communities in the inner cities do not have access to healthy foods. Many of these communities live more than a mile away from a supermarket and transportation is often unavailable. Even when transportation is available, or one lives close to a supermarket, purchasing healthy food and fresh produce can be very expensive. Many people end up buying unhealthy food products from their local corner stores, which can’t afford to stock healthy fruits and vegetables like large grocery stores. Lack of access to healthy food is a race issue. Disproportionate access to healthy foods between whites and African Americans is extremely common. The data shows that African Americans have greater health issues and limited access to healthy food. Obesity rates are 50% higher for

It is no coincidence that the obesity rate is higher in poverty-stricken regions of the United States. Author James Levine suggested, “Individuals who live in impoverished regions have poor access to fresh foods. Poverty-dense areas are oftentimes called “food deserts,” implying diminished access to fresh food.” (Levine) Families of poorer regions of America have no choice, but to eat the cheap, unhealthy fast food. Our society is based upon speed. The fast pace life of Americans do not have time for extravagant meals; they prefer to eat on the go. And the low-income families substitute fresh produce and healthy meat for dehydrated carrot sticks and chicken nuggets from the dollar

Factors that attribute to the obesity crisis include increased consumption of sugary sodas, high-fat and high-calorie foods, an increase in sedentary activities, inadequate and poorly implemented physical education programs in schools, and unhealthy food options in the school systems (National Institute for Health Care Management, 2017). Children in low-income communities also have fewer resources, such as recreational programs or parks, and less access to full-service grocery stores, which has a significant impact on America’s rising childhood obesity rate (University of Michigan Health System, 2016). Food deserts are areas within the United States that do not have sufficient amounts of fresh fruits and vegetables, healthy whole foods, lack farmers’ markets, and healthy food providers (American Nutrition Association, 2012). The population most impacted by such food deserts are the impoverished, and their only solution to obtain food is through the purchase of food at convenience stores. The food that is often available at such facilities includes sugary, high-fat, and high-calorie foods, all leading to the obesity epidemic (American Nutrition Association, 2012).

Because of the rising growth of fast food restaurants these restaurants would most likely, “2.5 times more likely to be located in areas
where people from the poorest SES category lived as compared to where people in the wealthiest category lived” (Raine, K. D.,2004). There is also the element of transportation, lower-income families may not be able to afford or have availability to have access to transportation. Income has a lot of control over a person’s weight gain and obesity, “low income levels produce stress, which may lead some people to store more body fat as insurance against difficult times in the future, and others to seek solace from their troubles through the comfort of eating” (Sobal, J. (n.d.). Social and Cultural Influences on Obesity. International Textbook of Obesity para, 44). Income can also influence a young person’s resources when it comes to their diet and physical activity, for instance, “having adequate income allows someone to focus on other aspects foods than cost, such as health and caloric value. People who experience hunger or food insecurity may overeat when food is available, which leads lower income groups in some societies to be more likely to be obese” (Sobal, J. (n.d.). Social and Cultural Influences on Obesity. International Textbook of Obesity para, 45). With the growing economy, the unaffordable prices and plus a low-income can limit a young person’s choice of food, this can also attribute to negative dietary lifestyle.