Obesity And Poverty

“Fast food is popular because it's convenient, it's cheap, and it tastes good. But the real cost of eating fast food never appears on the menu.” – Eric Schlosser --

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

After including additional keywords (fast food earnings, food oppression, food insecurity, minorities and low income paired with initial keywords and searching the reference lists of those articles already found, an additional search yielded a plethora of articles to choose from , some of which were actual research studies and others that were descriptive articles or summaries. The three articles in this review are the ones I found most profoundly supported my main arguments in my thesis statement. The research used to support my arguments employed qualitative methods for obtaining data which was supported by statistical information, professional and educational sources and articles from scholarly sources (Freeman, A. (2007); Adler, N. E., & Stewart, J. (2009); Kumanyika, S. & Grier, S., (2006). Kumanyika, S. & Grier, S., (2006), looks at obesity from the perspective of the government’s role in the situation, or lack thereof a presence in combating situations where they know people are getting taken advantage of through heavy influence from lobbyist groups. Adler, N. E., & Stewart, J. (2009), looks at the situations surrounding lifestyle choices, for example the availability of low cost foods, access to quick processed items versus nutritious ones and the poor quality of areas in these coined phrase, food deserts. Freeman, A. (2007), looks at the corporations and governments angle at keeping this an ongoing epidemic and ways in which they

Besides being overly convenient to obtain, fast food is also quite inexpensive. In today’s economy, an average American cannot afford to sit down at a nice

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.

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

The sociological aspect of obesity shown through the impact of families, the government and the economy. The rapidly growing, fast-paced, technological society creates an epidemic of sorts. Families pursue the use of technology, restaurants and fast-paced eating as well as single parenting and parental denial. The government sets a significant health care cost to obesity, which prevents a solution and increases risks. A non-stable economy brings about a society filled with unemployment or multiple jobs as well as both parents working to stay above absolute or relative poverty leading to distractions from a healthy lifestyle. Obesity is a concern, not just for an individual but also for

Fast food has become a comfort food during struggling economic hardship can provide comfort and reduce stress, increase satisfaction feeling and security. With promotions items or dollar value meals, some families which eat at fast food restaurant can find it cheaper to eat their rather than going to local grocery store and purchase food for the family. Another reason fast foods restaurants have been part of comfort foods is because they have been around for over 50 years, so for generations families have been eating there and can recall found memories of family time together. Consumers don’t like change and fast food restaurants can provide that consistence deliver of goods. Fast Food Chains are easily chosen during times that restrict personal finances, because during those times families still seek to have a way to "escape" the chains that are tightening them towards debt. Fast foods is there are no tipping policies, many often have deals where children under 12 eat free on certain days, many offer coupons through out the week to help save even further.

Obesity in the United States has really become an economic problem as well. People are spending the little money that they have and spending it on food that they shouldn’t be eating in the first place, which they should be spending their money on healthier and nutritious food, for themselves and their family. New England Medical Center, Michael Dansinger of the Tufts says:

Fast-food restaurants are very cheap and convenient way to get a quick meal and also in quick, convenient areas. Whether someone is in a hurry or just need something to eat, pulling through a drive through is very simple and a way to get food almost instantly. Obesity is a significant issue in the United States and having America plastered in fast-food chain restaurants does not help the fact, but we can not put them to blame. People need education on nutrition to learn what they need to eat and what they can enjoy in moderation. We also need many more healthy options in busy areas that also offer quick and simple meals at a reasonable price that give people the option to get a wholesome, nutritious meal.

Fast food is significantly cheaper than most of the sit-down restaurants where you order and wait for your food (Stein par. 4). It is still cheaper and healthier to buy home-cooked meals, but if the person doesn’t have the means to prepare the meal fast food is a convenient alternative. Fast food has been a staple food for most of today’s modern society, because the food is ready-to-eat and is easily picked up such as drive-through or home-delivery (Stein par. 2). Fast food has become a backbone to the economy offering variety of different meals, ranging from Chinese to Japanese

I agree with Edwards as he makes a good argument that if other companies can survive economic change without a bailout, why can’t the farm industry do the same? He also states the whole system is practically corrupt because of political involvement in the process as the “many legislators have an interest in increasing the USDA’s budget” (para. 6). The whole system needs reform and subsidies need to be reduced or repealed.

Poor people are less likely to have healthy diets and they are more likely to have fast food restaurants in their neighborhoods. That is when fatty foods and sugars are part of a family's diet. People who are in low- income or isolated urban areas have less options in foods. According to William Julius Wilson, “ they don’t have big supermarkets in their areas.” People who live in low income , they eat a big portion of inexpensive fat foods like fried potatoes and macaroni and cheese, which these options have a high portion of

Obesity affects more than 1/3 of the adult population in the US and is an increasing epidemic worldwide. Adults with obesity are more likely to have diabetes, asthma, arthritis, cardiovascular disease, and certain cancers. It takes 112,000 – 300,000 lives per year and costs $147 billion to treat obesity and related conditions. Society blames the individual for being fat due to their own lack of self-control and lack of exercise. However, the lack of education on healthy living, global inequality, and poverty rates also contribute to the obesity growth rate. There are differences between gender, age, and race when it comes to obesity that attribute to obesity problems, which stems from lack of education and unequal distribution of food.

Poverty in the us is a socioeconomic dilemma. It is regarding restricted social and economic assets. Obesity is involving poverty and can also be linked to disparities in entry to healthful meals.() introduced sugars and delivered fat are a