Why_Are_Poor_People_More_Likely_to_Be_Obese_

R. H. Professor J. F. Class name here 20 April 2012 “Why Are Poor People More Likely to be Obese'” A century ago, showing some extra pounds represented a status symbol much like driving a Porsche car is today. Obesity or overweight meant a person had enough money to buy plenty of food and did not have to work a physically demanding job. Today, a direct connection between income and a person’s Body Mass Index has been made. This is true for the majority of persons and there will always be an exception to this connection but the lower a person’s income, the higher he or she’s weight is in general. Many of the SNAP programs offered through local Office of Public Assistance establishments have been monitoring the increase. Are poor people just lazy or is the four dollars, per meal (Breakfast-Lunch-Dinner), per day, per person given by the Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program (SNAP) program just not enough to buy healthy, low-fat, wholesome food' What about the people who are considered low-income but make too much money to qualify for these government programs' There are many possible reasons low-income persons are more likely to be obese. Many would like to use excuses such as laziness to blame the high rates of obesity in the low-income population. It is true, inactivity can upset the balance between calories consumed and calories burned or the difference between being of normal weight and obese. But many of the low-income group work longer than 40 hour weeks and still cannot make ends meet due to the minimum wage factor in the equation. Another factor to consider is it is not laziness, it is no time to cook so these families turn to the higher calorie, fattening but ready-made meals. Many low-income people prefer healthier alternatives. Another possible reason is lack of education. A parent’s education level has been directly linked to their waistlines. Many minimum wage earners do not have a high school diploma or GED. With the United States economy taking such a nose dive there are quite a few college graduates and executives out of work so this might be true for some but not all poor persons. Another reason could be the unemployed struggle with the financial pressures and turn to food. The obesity issue has been a growing problem long before the unemployment hit its high during the Obama Administration. Television advertising has been blamed in some studies. Many TV ads are trying to appeal to specific ethnic minority groups that have markedly higher percentages of obesity than other ethnic groups such as Hispanic and African Americans. A study done in 2007 reported the amount of money advertisers spent on marketing caloric-dense foods such as fast food restaurants, snack items high in sugar like soda and candy at 11 billion dollars. Another reason maybe the lack of grocery stores in heavy populated low-income neighborhoods making it harder for the poor to find healthier food options at cheaper prices when many used convenience stores when closer to home when grocery stores are scarce. Lastly, the obesity among the poor is the price of healthy food vs. the price of junk food. There are so many reasons low-income families are at greater risk for obesity but the difference in the cost of healthy foods vs. the cost of junk foods will be emphasized here; poor people cannot afford healthy food but there are ways to overcome the financial hardships, eating healthier may bring. It is true, food prices are on the rise. Many economists believe gas prices will reach five dollars a gallon by summer 2012’s end and this means it will cost more to truck food across America. But the rise always seems to effect the healthier options more so than the over processed caloric dense options many have noticed. Gas prices and the higher cost of healthier foods do not completely explain the inflation that has been an ongoing battle for the last twenty plus years. Since the 1980’s, raw, fresh food has been on the rise and much of this is because of farm subsidiaries. The law makers and the farmers control the prices. A short history recount would tell an inquisitive person that farm subsidiaries came about as part of Theodor Roosevelt’s New Deal. The 1930’s and 40’s were a tough time, the Great Depression and our country was at war. The government wanted to insure that farmers did not suffer and would continue to provide food to all Americans. The agriculture subsidiaries protected the nation’s food supply and made these fresh foods affordable. The programs were supposed to be short-term but are still around today. It is extremely difficult to remove these subsidiaries as many politicians have tried over the years. Surprisingly, in 1929, Americans were spending close to 25% of their incomes per month on food and less than 1% on eating out. By the mid 1990’s, Americans spent only 10% of monthly incomes on food and eating out has been on the rise coming in at over 8%. So does healthy food cost more today than junk food' Many studies performed over the last 20 years have come to agree that healthy foods do cost more but thankfully Americans are not spending 25% of their incomes a month on general food. There are some options the poor can use to make foods more affordable. In the late 1800’s, people who were poor were given a plot of land usually attached to a communal house and grew their own food. These communal houses were called “poor houses.” They were taught how to grow then can excess produce so they were less of a burden on the tax-payers. This idea would solve two problems: First, it would lower the cost of fresh, organic foods and secondly, it would reduce tax-payers’ dollars going towards Food Stamp Programs. The “poor houses” would work in some areas but not nationally. There is a national, volunteer-run program called “Bountiful Baskets” that brings local farmers and their community together. A person interested in being a part of this program would have to look online to see if his or her town has a program already in place or the site offers information on how to start one in their area. People in the area meet once per month and get a large size bag of fresh fruits and vegetables for $15. Another Federal program low-income people can have access to is Woman Infant and Children (WIC) which currently offers free “cooking with your kids” classes, held once per week (families can pick the most convenient location and time/day) to educate families on healthy eating and offer quick recipes for the overworked and busy parents who want to cook at home but think they don’t have the time. These WIC sponsored program also teaches people to buy in-season produce which is another cost effective measure that can save low-income families. A current event being discussed among lawmakers is to put a “sin tax” on foods with certain amounts of sugar on their labels and subsidizing vegetables by using the money made from the “sin tax.” The money would also go towards the growing healthcare costs and assist Americans to consume healthier foods, making fresh fruits and vegetables cheaper than junk food. This might encourage people to eat healthier on a more national level. Center for Disease Control (CDC) last reported in 2007-2008 that 33% of the United States population is obese and 34% are overweight. Overweight is categorized as a Body Mass Index (BMI) greater than 25% and obese is categorized as a BMI greater than 30%, morbid obesity is a BMI greater than 35%. It is estimated that if the obesity trends continue current pace, 51% of Americans will be obese by 2030. What is the rise in obesity costing America' A sharp rise in diabetes, heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer (breast cancer and colon cancer are related now), respiratory issues such as sleep apnea, malnutrition and immobility – all of these are directly related to obesity. Just take diabetes for example as it relates to obesity. Diabetes is the 7th leading cause of death in the U.S. and is a major cause of heart disease and stroke according to the CDC. It is also the leading cause of kidney failure, non-traumatic limb amputations and blindness. Another example is heart disease as it relates to obesity. The CDC reports 11.4% of Americans who are non-institutionalized have some form of heart disease. Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) is when a person quits breathing for numerous short periods of time during sleep. American Journal of Medicine reports 6% of men and 3% of women have an OSA diagnosis and another 5% of Americans are undiagnosed with OSA. Contributing risk factors among a short list is high BMI. OSA is a contributor to heart disease and further complicates the list of obesity-related diseases. Many low-income people cannot afford health insurance, putting a larger cost on the insured in premiums. Morbidly obese people can qualify for disability which comes from the Social Security Administration as well as Medicaid and Medicare which further taxes these programs. What would it mean to the U.S. population if obesity trends took a sharp reverse' The current shortage of doctors and nurses would level out, healthcare costs would drop, and a better quality of life for many Americans would emerge. The American people can speak with their wallets when entering the grocery store by the food choices they make. If the processed food manufactures had to make their products more expensive because of a ‘sin tax’ a positive change would happen quickly and lower salt, sugar and fat contents would result on many food labels. There is a trial advertising campaign educating Americans about the amount of sugar in the beverages they drink on a daily basis. Drinks like high calorie fancy coffees, soda, energy drink, and energy water drinks are compared side-by-side with donuts, cookies and candy. The sugar content is displayed for each showing a consumer can drink a 20 ounce bottle of soda or eat a plate full of cookies. The ads only show the sugar content which shows for example 20 ounces of soda having over 40 grams of sugar. The ads aim at making Americans more aware of the calories with emphasis on the sugar they are adding to their diet everyday which in turn, adds to their waistlines every year. Why are poor people more likely to be obese' The costs of healthy foods vs. the cost of junk foods are interrelated to income. People who have less money to expend on food every month will buy caloric dense (high in fat, sugar and salt) foods that will keep them from going hungry. The best solution to this problem seems to be putting a ‘sin tax’ on foods that are higher in sugar, fat and salt and subsidize fresh fruits and vegetables to persuade consumers to eat more fresh produce and less caloric dense foods. This would be similar to the ‘sin tax’ on cigarettes which has had positive results on curbing the trend to continue smoking. The new ‘sin tax’ would not only affect the low-income but all American’s food choices for the positive. Positive outcomes for a reduction in American obesity rates would be many including an overall drop in the cost of healthcare. Work Cited Grier, Sonya, and Shiriki Kumanyika. "Targeting interventions for ethnic minority and low-income populations." The Future of Children Spring 2006: 187+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. Correll, Michael A. "Getting fat on government cheese: the connection between social welfare participation, gender, and obesity in America." Duke Journal of Gender Law & Policy 18.1 (2010): 45+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. Drewnowski, Adam, and SE Specter. "Poverty and obesity: the role of energy density and energy costs." American Journal of Clinical Nutrition Jan. 2004: 6+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. DeLeire, Thomas, Ariel Kalil, and Kathleen M. Ziol-Guest. "The allocation of food expenditure in married- and single-parent families." Journal of Consumer Affairs 40.2 (2006): 347+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Apr. 2012. Akst, Daniel. "Cheap eats." The Wilson Quarterly 27.3 (2003): 30+. Academic OneFile. Web. 16 Apr. 2012.