Why Are Poor People More Likely to Be Obese?
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- Date Submitted: 09/22/2012 09:36 AM
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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...
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...