The money would go much further if the person would purchase processed foods such as hot dogs, lunch meat and Ramen noodles. This meal may not always be the healthiest choice, but it would feed the family. Many people do not chose to eat this way, or to have their family eating like this, but when push comes to shove, one must purchase what they can afford to feed the whole family. A website on the effects of low family income states,"A poor family is much more likely to buy a large amount of cheap, unhealthy food that will feed their family than a small amount of nutritious food that will leave them hungry." (Effects of Low Family Income) Foods such as fresh fruits and vegetables do run high in the store, and it is much cheaper to buy canned fruit and vegetables, but these processed canned foods add more sugar and salt to the diet than the fresh do.
Low income families and obesity BCOM 275 Instructor: Michael Yensz I found myself reading an article that discussed the fact that low income families and obesity are linked. “This problem affects many children living within the United States, but children from low-income families are more at risk of becoming obese. The reason, not only stems from their limited knowledge of healthy lifestyles but the cost and availability of nutritious foods as well. “According to an article on factoidz.com. A 2006 study by the Colorado Health Foundation titled the “Income, Education and Obesity” found that 25% of Colorado children living in low-income households with an average income of $25,000 or less were obese compared to 8% of the children.
The geography of childhood obesity is largely the geography of poverty. There's no pretending that differences in income and education are huge factors to obesity. Families that live in low-income areas, like inner cities, don’t have the money to buy healthy foods, nor do they have the access. The nonprofit “The Food Trust”, states that there are 23.5 million Americans that live in communities without grocery store access. These kids grow up eating fast food, believing it is real food, which is more than likely a belief they will continue into
Majority of the times parents aren’t home enough with their child to give them a well prepared and healthy meal, more times parents just came from work and order fast food. These parents need to be told that their children are at risk for poor organ functioning due to large amounts of fat inhibiting normal function, that the excess weight will place unnecessary strains on growing joints and limbs, and that the adipose tissue will have major effects on the metabolic and endocrine systems (Ruxton,
With seventy percent of mothers returning to the workforce, the parents of obese children have a hard time regulating the food intake (HuffPost Health, 2010). Most cases of obesity in children can be pointed back to the parents being negligent, but there are relatively small amounts that are caused by a genetic defect. Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) affects1 in 15,000 babies that are born in the United States. PWS is the most common known genetic cause of life-threatening obesity in children. The constant feeling of being hungry is one on the typical symptoms that comes with PWS.. PWS is caused by the baby failing to receive active genes from a specific section of the father’s chromosome 15 (PWSAUSA, 2011).
And it is not surprising that childhood obesity is a good indicator for the likelihood of obesity into adulthood. What is surprising, however, as Galvez (2003) points out, is that "studies on obesity consistently report a higher prevalence of obesity in African Americans and Mexican Americans compared with the white, non-Hispanic population" (p. A684). The etiology of childhood overweight is multifaceted, but is seemingly always tied to socioeconomic factors. Poor nutritional choices and a sedentary lifestyle cause obesity, but it is societal stressors that lead to these inadequate choices. Such stressors include increased exposure to television advertisements for unhealthy foods, unsafe neighborhoods which inhibit outdoor play and exercise, and limited availability of healthy, fresh foods in low socioeconomic residential areas (Galvez 2003).
Cody Dilsaver Ms.Martin English 110 11/3/14 Childhood Obesity in America Childhood obesity has developed into one of the biggest problems America faces today. Around the world, America has developed a reputation of obesity, something we should be humiliated of. It wasn’t like that 30 years ago; our society has developed a lifestyle accustomed to binge eating and immobility. Portion sizes have increased, fast food has become a cheap and convenient alternative for dinner, and children’s social lives have deformed into web-based. The responsibility to prevent and repair childhood obesity is primarily on the shoulders of parents, government, and children themselves.
By comparison, healthcare spending on obesity is already $147 billion” “Healthcare costs are 42% higher for someone who is obese – that’s over $1,400 each” (Oliver, Killer Facts, para. 2). Obesity and diabetes are on the rise costing continually more money meaning less for other things such as school food programs. If we spent more money on making healthy school lunches we would eventually save money on the cost of healthcare. If we put money into the right causes such as teaching children healthy habits we will cut down on obesity rates and save on future costs of healthcare and reform later
There are several contributing factors involved with obesity in children and many components that may influence its development and onset including family lifestyle, family history, psychological factors, socio-economic factors, and many more. Obesity does not happen overnight; it is the result of a chain of bad habits, poor nutrition, and lack of exercise (Zeratsky, 2011). In today's fast paced society, time management has become extremely important. This may be a factor that contributes to why some children have poor nutrition; they are simply not eating healthy because there may not be ample time to cook nutritious meals (Zeratsky,
Childhood Obesity in America Childhood obesity has been a rising problem in the United States. The problem has grown considerably in the last years. Being so easy to recognize but so hard to treat, childhood obesity is a significant problem in America. Obesity is confirmed when the child’s weight is ten percent higher than what is considered normal for their height and body type (Collins, 1998). When finding the cause of obesity, genetics, behavior, biological, and cultural factors all are included.