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Obesity - Low Income and Insecurity

            A child walks down the fruit and vegetables isle, looks up at her mother with big brown eyes and asks her if they could buy some apples and carrots for the week. The mother stares back down at the child and says, "We cannot afford healthy foods honey." As families start to run out of money at the end of the month, the amount they eat decreases exponentially. Nearly 27% of Low-Income people are likely to be hospitalized from hypoglycemia in the last week of the month than in the first. Hypoglycemia is a condition that occurs when your blood sugar (glucose) is too low. An expert on obesity,  Adrianna McIntyre says, "We can't separate social policy and health policy for low-income households" (O'Brien). A lot of americans do not fully understand the situations the homeless and hungry are in. There are presumptions made about them, but this paper will clarify some myths. There are many factors that contribute to being obese, but a persons income is the primary factor.
             How is obesity different than being overweight? Obesity defines itself as having too much body fat. Obesity can be caused from eating more food than your body can take in, drinking too much alcohol, or not getting enough exercise. As a child, the way a person eats can ultimately affect his/her food habits as adults. The foods that people surround themselves with can have a positive or negative connotation to their body. Overweight is defined as above a weight considered normal or desirable. As people look themselves in the the mirror, a 120 female girl can state she is "overweight" because that is what she perceives herself as. Overweight is ultimately powered by the individual. If they believe they are overweight, then they take necessary precautions in trying to lose it.
             People with low-income and food insecurity are vulnerable to obesity. They face unique challenges in their day to day lives trying to establish healthy eating habits for themselves and their family.


Essays Related to Obesity - Low Income and Insecurity

1. Socioeconomic Factors and Obesity

One group of scholars reported that low socioeconomic status is a main reason for obesity. ... Low-income areas are often called "food deserts", or regions in which access to fresh food is difficult. A study done by the USDA revealed 43% of households with incomes below the poverty line ($21,756) are food insecure. ... A plethora of research has been done on obesity and most findings reveal that the causes are of low socioeconomic status or food insecurity. ... Income: Low-income families are very big fans of said "Dollar Menus'" for their convenient and inexpensive ch...

  • Word Count: 2040
  • Approx Pages: 8
  • Has Bibliography

2. Obesity

What is obesity and how prevalent is it in Australia? Evaluate the psychosocial factors that impact on obesity. ... These Australian data are approximately consistent with worldwide trends (WHO 1998) of increasing obesity to epidemic proportions in the US (Troiano & Flegal 1998), some Western Europe countries (Grivetti 2001), and increasingly in lower-income and transitional countries, (Popkin & Doak 1998). ... The resultant negative effects include, self blame, self loathing, guilt, shame, alienation, sadness, fear of rejection, insecurity, confusion sense of hopelessness, helplessness, wo...

  • Word Count: 1615
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

3. Food Justice by Robert Gottlieb

During the Middle Ages and Renaissance, corpulence (obesity) once represented a person's wealth. ... According to the Los Angeles Public Health Department, "areas with the highest rate of poverty and food insecurities in southern Los Angeles County also have the highest rates of obesity among adults and children (35.5 and 28.9 percent)." ... The abundance of cheap fast-food options, coupled with the deficiency of affordable healthy food Chicago residents and other living in low-income communities find it is a major obstacle to maintaining a healthy lifestyle. ... Solutions to the obesity ...

  • Word Count: 710
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

4. School Breakfast and Lunch Programs

One of the many benefits of school meal programs is how they can help strengthen food security for children, especially those who come from low-income families. Schools offer reduced or free lunches to students whose family's income meets the necessary criteria (Bartfeld & Kim, 2010). ... Food insecurity does not seem like it would be extremely detrimental to children, but it actually can pose risks such as a lack of social skills, impaired reading skills and an overall slow development (Bartfeld & Kim, 2010). ... It was found that low-income families were more likely to have children who...

  • Word Count: 1766
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

5. Prevention and Care of Diabetes

Low income, employment insecurity, low educational attainment and poor living conditions are all determinants that assist in the causation of diabetes as all of these notions interlink with the other environment factors discussed above. ... Low income leads to a low nutritional diet and the lack of education on how to live a healthy lifestyle. ... Food advertising that is cheaper and of low nutritional value is likely to be more tempting and appealing to those living on a lower income. Many New Zealand's who are living on a low income cannot afford to purchase a healthy selection of food ...

  • Word Count: 1711
  • Approx Pages: 7
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

6. The obsession that college students have with their weight

But for college girls peer pressure can be negative, causing insecurity. ... But she feels insecure around girls who have a smaller waste line and weights less than she does. ... On the other hand the overweight and obese people struggle and live miserable lives. For instance the show Roseanne, the show was about the life of a low-income family, it just so happened to be that the parents were overweight. A lot of times when you see overweight people in movies or sitcoms they usually have low positions at work, and they live in small apartments. ...

  • Word Count: 944
  • Approx Pages: 4
  • Grade Level: High School

7. Overview of Common Lifestyle Diseases

The 21st century is now faced with diseases like diabetes, hypertension (high blood pressure), obesity and heart disease. ... Obesity is one obvious example, and heavier individuals are likewise susceptible to a number of progressive health issues like diabetes and heart disease. ... It could take place as a result of hypertension, age, gender, high blood pressure, diabetes, tobacco smoking, obesity, lack of physical activities, air pollution, etc. ... Obesity W.H.O. defines it as abnormal or excessive fat accumulation that presents a risk to health. ... The major reason for Obesity could be l...

  • Word Count: 5107
  • Approx Pages: 20
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

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