Those without transportation are subjected to shopping at convenience and corner stores. Residents with better access to supermarkets and reliable transportation are less likely to develop obesity and more likely to have a healthy diet. But, where healthy food is more costly, sugars and fats are inexpensive and abundant. Families that are low-income try to stretch the dollar by buying cheap foods that are filling. These foods are of low quality, and have been the leading cause of obesity.
What role do American parents play in child obesity? Child obesity has become a major issue in America. Children as young as 5 years old have been diagnosed with adult diseases like, high blood pressure and high cholesterol. Parents are aware of the complications that their children can suffer with a “lazy” life style. These lifestyles range from sedentary habits, bad eating habits, and lack of exercise.
What can we do to help prevent poverty? How can we prevent those already living in poverty from becoming obese? How does poverty contribute to obesity? The people who have a limited resource to food will stretch out their money by buying energy-dense food which is more calories per dollar. Some people who are food insecure will overeat when food is available.
Students are being fed unhealthy lunches at school cafeterias simply because it is cheaper to produce unhealthy processed foods so alternatives and healthier food go away. Unfortunately money takes precedence over the health of students; from the perspective of the school boards, it is much cheaper to have processed foods made for them by other companies instead of making healthier foods right in the schools. Also, processed and pre-made foods are cheaper than fresh homemade foods, which would also make healthier foods more expensive. Therefore, the logic said that if schools were to make the food healthier and as a result more expensive, in order to cover the costs the students would have to pay more. Unfortunately, student and parents rely on these lunches because they do not have the income to be able to afford either full-priced or homemade lunches.
Problems Minority children from low income families are negatively affected physically by the marketing of unhealthy foods. The most common health problem experienced by children today is obesity. Other obesity related diseases that fester due to unhealthy marketing to these groups are cardiovascular disease, type 2 diabetes, and sleep disordered breathing (Kumanyika & Grier, 2006). Marketers draw children to foods high in sugar, salt, and fat content by dangling toys and popular characters before their eyes. Unbeknownst to these children; they are begging for far more than just toys, prizes, and something tasty to eat.
People who are obese are more likely to have health problems such as: high blood pressure, raised cholesterol high insulin levels, impaired glucose tolerance, type two diabetes, heart attacks, nonalcoholic fatty liver disease, kidney problems and polycystic ovary syndrome. Not all children will have these health problems but doctors are finding these problems in children and the children are getting younger. As a whole childhood obesity puts children in harm’s way and the future of America. And that is why the cycle must be reversed. We owe to the country and the kids who live
How Poverty Affects Obesity English 135 How Poverty Affects Obesity How fast would you die if you didn’t have food? A better question might be how fast could you die if you did have food? Americans are slowly eating themselves to death; getting larger and larger and the more financially disadvantaged you are the quicker the food you are eating will kill you. Obesity also has a stronghold on the weakest of society, the children. Although obesity in adults continues to rise, the citizens of this nation are accustomed and less attuned to this issue.
Burger King VS McDonald’s Burger King and McDonald’s are both fast food restaurants that provide customers with an easy drive thru window. When families have very little time to prepare a cooked meal at home, they most often opt for a fast food drive thru. Hitting up the drive thru at Burger King or McDonald’s, makes life just a little easier for the family on the run. People choose these types of places mostly for their fast pace, not for the quality of the food they receive. Also, because places such as Burger King and McDonald’s cost less than a fancy dining place, they feel they are getting a big bang for their buck.
Not only does it put them at risk when they are younger, obese children also tend to become obese when they are adults, causing them to have the same, if not more serious health problems. I think that eating healthy and a lot of physical activity is important for children to help them stay healthy. But one large factor that I feel gets over looked when it comes to childhood obesity is how unhealthy food is advertised, and how big of an effect what everyday children watch on the television really does have in the rising of obesity rates. I think that the fast food and advertising are at huge fault for childhood obesity. The fast food industry knows that putting a toy in their kids meals will make young children want to go to their restaurants, rather than restaurants where they go in and sit down and get no toys.
The accessibility of fast food in schools encourages students to eat unhealthy, which is detrimental to their health. For example, students are always buying foods such as fries and burgers; they are not realizing how bad this food is to their health and body. When students are severely overweight or obese, they may get diseases in the future such as diabetes, high blood pressure, high cholesterol and cardio-vascular disease. Fast food is one of the factors leading to these dreadful diseases. A fast food meal may contain 900-1600 calories, which is almost half of the calories most people need each day.