Obesity In Low Income Children: A Literature Review

SNAP is the foundation of nutrition assistance programs. This program provides over 47 million individuals in nearly 23 million low-income households. The eligibility is not restricted to certain groups of individuals, and because of this, SNAP serves a vast amount of families with children, elderly people, and individuals with disabilities. Others eligible for SNAP include families with adults who work in low-wage jobs, unemployed workers, and those with a fixed income. The SNAP Program assists about 72 percent of people who live in households with children. Nearly 25 percent of households with seniors and individuals with disabilities, are also assisted (Rosenbaum, 2013).

In the United States, there is a substantial number of children that live below the federal poverty line and even more that live below twice the poverty line (Jackson, 2014). According to Jackson (2014), poverty and food insecurity are undeniably related and these children living below the federal poverty line are at risk for varying negative effects, such as delayed cognitive development and medical problems, that hunger can cause. There is a variety of nutritional policies that help these children as well as adults who live in economically disadvantaged and food-insecure households such as the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) (Jackson, 2014; Marx, Broussard, Hopper, & Worster, 2010). This program

Rochman, Bonnie, and Bonnie Rochman. "Childhood Obesity: Most U.S. Schools Don’t Require P.E. Class or Recess | TIME.com." Time. Time, n.d. Web. 01 Sept. 2015. Only six states require P.E. at some point in high school, including Alabama, Georgia, Mississippi, North Carolina, Illinois and Iowa. If we were to require P.E. before you graduate, it may make some people angry, but it could be a great way to help with one of the worst problems in the world. The author, Bonnie Rochman, reports that 39 states do not require recess at all, at any level of school. Kids need time to run around and have some physical activity during the day, and recess is a good way to provide that. Rochman states that many schools are cutting physical

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

What search terms did you use to locate this research study to analyze? What database did you use? What was your rationale for selecting this particular study to analyze over the others identified in the search results? What is the full reference of for the study in APA format?

Fortunately, there are several government programs available for families facing food insecurity. One example is the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), which helps low-income families afford nutrient rich foods and was formerly known as food stamps (“Supplemental Nutrtion…”, 2017). While this program aids individuals of all ages, there are also programs that are aimed at specific age groups. Another program is the Commodity Supplemental Food Program (CSFP), which assists low-income elderly individuals above sixty years old and provides them with healthy foods (“Commodity Supplemental…”, 2017). On the other end of the spectrum, the Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program allots federal grants for the health care and nutrition

It has become impossible for low-income families to provide healthy meals for their families. Government, Farm policies and the food industry itself are main reasons as to why the cost of healthy foods has become harder for American families, especially low-income families, to provide the healthy foods needed to fight the obesity epidemic. With low- income families being the main focus point on the problem of

The Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Woman, Infants, and Children (WIC) was established in1972. This federally funded program’s primary focus is the nutritional harm that hunger, and poverty creates specifically for mothers, soon-to-be mothers, children and infants (Blau and Abramovitz, 2014). This program has seen an influx of participants over the many years since its existence. Recently, in 2009 WIC underwent major changes that would benefit both mothers and their children. WIC required its participants to buy healthier foods and pushed grocery stores to provide healthier foods for the participants (Block and Subramanian, 2015). Most recipients of WIC are low-income and more than likely live in neighborhoods with food deserts.

Despite recent declines in the prevalence among preschool-aged children, obesity among children is still too high. For children and adolescents aged 2-19 years, the prevalence of obesity has remained fairly stable at about 17% and affects about 12.7 million children and adolescents for the past decade (CDC). Childhood obesity does not only affect children, but also has many long term health effects on our children as they get older, including, an increased risk of type 2 diabetes in both childhood and adulthood. (2). Researchers estimate that if obesity trends continue, obesity related medical costs, alone, could rise by $43 to $66 billion each year in the United States by 2030. (1) A major factor in childhood obesity is the inadequate amount of physical activity children are getting, as well as the school lunches that are being provided to the kids. The accessibility of competitive foods which includes things like vending machines, student stores and items a la carte in schools has been linked with negative dietary behaviors, including higher saturated fat intake, higher sweetened beverage intake, and less fruit and vegetable intake,(3) thus resulting in obesity among our children and adolescents. Research suggests that by making sure children are getting healthy school meals and getting enough physical activity in their day it will decrease their chances of having childhood obesity (3). The purpose of this review was to determine the role, school lunches and physical

The first intervention program this paper will review is called SNAP-Education, or SNAP-Ed. Assisting food insecure families through this program provides education on how to eat nutritiously and could decrease obesity rates among SNAP participants. SNAP-Education “supports evidence-based nutrition education and obesity prevention interventions and projects for persons eligible for the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) through complementary direct

Low socioeconomic status individuals have limited access to healthy and affordable foods which sequentially contributes to obesity. One might contend that the government provides assistance (WIC and Food Stamps) to

Overweight and obesity are risk factors for diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, and other health problems. Since there is no single cause of all overweight and obesity, there is no single way to prevent or treat overweight and obesity that will help everyone. Treatment may include a combination of diet, exercise, behavior modification, and sometimes weight-loss drugs. In some cases of extreme obesity, bariatric surgery may be recommended. Once the disease is there it plans on staying there is no easy way of getting rid of it. We have to plan early and quick that is the importance and the message trying to be conveyed. We must make an early strike to prevent further

Childhood obesity is an epidemic affecting children and adolescents from different races and backgrounds. The childhood obesity prevalence in America has been considered a national health crisis. It is postulated that one out of every three children of ages (3-17) are either overweight or obese. It continues to be an issue even after the advancement of the many efforts towards ensuring the health of the children in our society. There is an increase in the rates of childhood obesity despite the spread of awareness about the risk of excess weight (Kamath, Celia et al 4619). The life threatening repercussions of this epidemic has turned out to create a compelling call for the National Health Administration to take stunt

The Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) has become an immense support for food insecurity, particularly in low-income families in our country. The SNAP program has been initiated to reduce hunger during economic crisis and has become crucial in helping its participants to meet their dietary needs (Blumenthal, 2012 pg.50). However, there is a main concern is that SNAP participants are also at risk for developing obesity and other chronic disease. The SNAP program finds that the obesity epidemic is associated with huge economic burdens on medical cost, if not addressed at right time. The Farm Bill containing SNAP program was signed into law in February, 2014 after intense debate on its effectiveness and efficiency (Farm Bill, 2014). During the debate, the congressional legislation addressed the importance of healthy eating for participants to receive proper nutrition in their diet (Blumenthal, 2012 pg.50). The policy reports that SNAP program will focus on food insecurity and also provide health outcome for obesity among participants. This policy needs to be modified to expand other nutrition assistance program for SNAP participants to select healthy food choices. Such an educational program would benefit most states offering nutrition information to assist SNAP participants to eat healthier and be physically active.

Karl Marx is a sociologist, economist, historian, journalist, revolutionary, and philosopher of German decent. Karl Marx was born in 1818 in Trier, Prussia; he was the oldest surviving boy in a family of nine children. Both of his parents were Jewish, and descended from a long line of rabbis. Marx was also raised in a home that originally was Jewish until his Father, Heinrich Marx, converted to Protestantism. He was home-schooled until 1830 when he enrolled at the Jesuit high school in Trier.. In 1835, Marx studied in the University of Boom. In 1835 Marx left to the University where he read and fell in love with the philosophies of G.W.F. Hegel, and joined a group known as the Young Hegelians, who were challenging existing institutions and ideas on all fronts, including religion, philosophy, ethics and politics.