Minimum wage does not supply enough income for a nutritious diet, therefore those living in poverty tend to emphasize quantity over nutritional benefits. They are also less likely to have access to transportation, or the resources to travel to a supermarket outside of their immediate neighbourhood, forcing them to prioritize convenience over quality. This inadequate access to nutritionally sound food is why obesity disproportionately affects those living in poverty, as well as women, racialized groups, indigenous people, immigrants, and the working class (Koc 2016).
Early childhood poverty and later childhood obesity are strongly connected. This is critical, as it highlights how early life poverty contributes to obesity in later years, and suggests that US policies that affect childhood poverty might also impact obesity. Prevention of childhood obesity could have great implications for the US population at large, as early obesity is associated with the persistence of obesity into adulthood and the development of chronic diseases (Lee et al., 2014). The graph below shows the growth in obesity across the US over the past 50+ years.
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), consequences of obesity include:
The unequal distribution of wealth contributes to many inequalities that have a direct impact on health and risk for obesity, such as a lower level of education, less access to information, a lower capability to cope with risks, reduced access to health services, and a reduced possibility of engaging in healthy activities (Peña and Bacallao 2002, 242). The graphs below show the positive correlation between obesity rates and poverty in the US.
Early childhood poverty and later childhood obesity are strongly connected. This is critical, as it highlights how early life poverty contributes to obesity in later years, and suggests that US policies that affect childhood poverty might also impact obesity. Prevention of childhood obesity could have great implications for the US population at large, as early obesity is associated with the persistence of obesity into adulthood and the development of chronic diseases (Lee et al., 2014). The graph below shows the growth in obesity across the US over the past 50+ years.
(stateofobesity.org)
According to the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), consequences of obesity include:
- High blood pressure (Hypertension)
- Type 2 diabetes
- Coronary heart disease
- Stroke
- Gallbladder disease
- Some cancers (endometrial, breast, colon, kidney, gallbladder, and liver)
- Mental illness such as clinical depression, anxiety, and other mental disorders
The unequal distribution of wealth contributes to many inequalities that have a direct impact on health and risk for obesity, such as a lower level of education, less access to information, a lower capability to cope with risks, reduced access to health services, and a reduced possibility of engaging in healthy activities (Peña and Bacallao 2002, 242). The graphs below show the positive correlation between obesity rates and poverty in the US.
(American Diabetes Association, 2011).
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