Connection between poberty and Obesity - Research Paper Example

?Running head: (Research: Connection between Poverty and Obesity) Your Full DeVry Obesity is a condition where excess fats accumulate to the extent that may be detrimental to health, reduced life expectancy and increased health problems. A popular columnist on obesity and health reform analyzed that, anyone who is poor is more likely to be obese, and anyone who is obese is more likely to be poor (Engber, 2009). This statement oscillates around the relationship between obesity and poverty. This connection depends on the lifestyle of the poor people based on their financial abilities. Poverty contributes to obesity because poor people eat poor quality diet, which leads to obesity; they are prone to psychological stress, which increases their body food intake thus becoming obese, and they cannot afford subscriptions to recreational activities, which checks on their body mass. In the first instance, the paper will discuss various reasons as to why and how poor people consume poor diet, and how psychological stress, which leads to obesity, affects poor people more than rich people. Secondly, this paper will explore reasons as to why poor people are obese due to failure to engage in sports activities. The first reason for this trend lies in the relationship between obesity and diet quality. Low income individuals are likely to be obese because they eat poor quality diet (Engber, 2009). Caballero (2007) analyzes that, there is heated debate on the relationship between poverty and obesity over health care reform. Obesity has accounted for large budgets in many countries’ spending on medical care. It will be rare to find a healthy diet among the poor population because the most affordable diet comprises of greasy diets (Engber, 2009; Kuo et al., 2007). Drewnowski and Specter (2004) have argued that, such diets are cheaper than more healthy diets like the lean meat, fish, fresh vegetables and fruits. They analyze that, this association can be seen when considered on the bases of low cost of energy-dense foods and palatable sugars and fats prove this fact. In this case, most poor people become more obese and overweight as they consume more added sugars and fats and spend lower part of their disposable income on food. This means that; poor people are likely to be obese due to circumstances that lead them to spending less on unhealthy foods. This would mean, therefore, that the rates of obesity are high among the population section with high poverty level (Caballero, 2007). Further, there is a relationship between poverty and obesity in the fact that low income people may lack the time to prepare their own meals, and they prefer buying cheap, fast foods. This happens because, as rational consumers, the cost of preparing one’s own means supersedes the cost of buying an already prepared meal (Engber, 2009). This way, poor people always eat a diet which exposes them to obesity unlike the rich who have access to healthy foods and diets like lean meat, fish, fresh vegetables and fruits. Closely linked to diet are the metabolic changes that are induced by stress hence triggering appetite among the poor population. Diet specialists have found out that stressed people eat comfort foods, which are high in sugars and fats, inappropriately (Kuo et al., 2007). Moreover, stress alters the body’s production and storage of fats as it unlocks body’s fat cells. With the poverty struggles and increased stress, poor people’s bodies produce a lot of digestive juices, which hastens digestion and absorption of food in their bodies (Kuo et al., 2007). This is because stress increases food intake and retention in the body. Since, poor people have access only to poor diet, which leads to obesity; they overeat, and their body masses increase uncontrollably. Poor people are prone to stress, and they lack money to visit psychiatrists or relax in a picnic. There are metabolic changes that occur in a stressed person hence retention of excess fats and overeating syndrome. In this case, obesity becomes an inevitable fate for the poor population. The second reason, which triggers the connections, is that low income individuals do not engage in recreational activities, which could check on their body mass. Obesity is largely a lifestyle condition, which can be checked by engaging in sports activities as well as indoor exercises (Saylor, 2006). There are clubs which require subscription for one to be a member so as to benefit from their keep fit facilities. However, Saylor (2006) argues that poor people cannot afford subscriptions to these sports clubs, and they end up accumulating uncontrolled fats and weight. Moreover, poor people lack the time to engage in luxuries because they live on hand-to-mouth economic lifestyle (Caballero, 2007). The little money they get can not feed them and give them a saving for what they consider luxurious undertakings like subscribing to clubs and sports. Closely connected to this is the fact that while rich people spend their time in healthy activities like sports, poor people derive their pleasure in lifestyles which expose them to dangers of obesity. Engber (2009) enlists that these pleasurable activities include, eating, smoking, and taking drugs, which are cheap to achieve but expensive on ones health. The 2008 report from the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report a gap in this issue. The report has it that laid down policies, which could benefit poor people, miss critical components or lack comprehensive approach to be effective. For example, while all states and the District of Columbia have laws that boost physical activities in schools, only 13 states enforce such policies and only four have sanctions to schools which do not implement the policies (TFAH & RWJF, 2008). This means that concerning physical activity; many countries are reluctant in the implementation of the laws which could otherwise safe the poor from obesity. There are, however, solutions for the problem of diet and stress with regard to obesity. Low income individuals can avoid obesity by avoiding poor quality diet, which leads to obesity. However, there is government and other stakeholders’ inputs required to help communities solve the problems. For instance, the Trust for America's Health and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation report ((TFAH & RWJF, 2008) analyze that although the dietary guidelines for Americans were updated in 2005, the recommendations are yet to be adopted. The report details that eighteen states have taken a step to enact legislation requiring school meals to exceed USDA nutrition standards, but only seven of these laws are enforced and only two states have sanctions for the bleach of the laws (TFAH & RWJF, 2008). Moreover, the states have failed to specify coverage for nutrition counselling and assessment for obese and overweight children, and twenty states do not cover nutritional assessment for Medicaid obese adults. This information sends a clear message that, if the programs and policies are neglected, the poor population section is left to wallow in obesity. The TFAH & RWJF (2008) report concludes that, although there are policies meant to promote physical activity and proper nutrition; the policies are never adopted or implemented. Therefore, to solve this problem, all stakeholders should invest in community based prevention programs that promote adoption of healthy nutrition and physical activity. Government programs should also aim at improving access to affordable diets by subsidizing foods and grocery shops and farmers markets to locate underserved communities (TFAH & RWJF, 2008). The government can also liaise with other authorities and eliminate junk food for both children and adults. This way, poor people will have access to healthy food, and no trader will be allowed to sneak and sell cheap junk food to the poor. Provision of information about nutrition, including the point of purchasing information about the nutritional contents of the foods they buy is essential among the poor population. For the problem of physical activity, engaging in affordable physical and sports activities can help in dealing with the problem of obesity. Although individuals should make efforts to access activities, the government and non-governmental organizations can assist. There are also programs laid to make sure there is increased access to places for physical exercises in communities. In this case, the government can help in creating affordable public parks, side walks and bike lanes (TFAH & RWJF, 2008). All employers can be encouraged to provide programs in the workplace which boost wellness. Poor people should also have access to information regarding the risk of failing to spare their time for exercises through their insurers. Obesity is costing the government a lot of money in their health care spending. The Trust for America's Health recommends a national strategy should be created to curb obesity with the roles for individuals, employers, insurers, businesses, communities and families (TFAH & RWJF, 2008). These programs and strategies will help the poor who are economically crippled by encouraging them to adopt lifestyle which reduced their chances of being obese. If obesity is limited among the poor populations, who have highest rates, it will have an impact in the whole population. Otherwise, if the concerned stakeholders like governments and NGOs fail to act decisively on lifestyle changes among the poor people; obesity will continue to claim lives and resources. References Caballero, B. (2007). The global epidemic of obesity: An overview. Epidemiology Review, 29 (1), 1–5. Drewnowski, A. & Specter, S. E. (2004). Poverty and obesity: The role of energy density and energy costs. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 79 (1), 6-16. Engber, D. (2009). Does Poverty Make People Obese, or Is It the Other Way Around? Retrieved March 17, 2012, from http://www.slate.com/articles/health_and_science/science/2009/09/give_me_your_tired_your_poor_your_big_fat_asses_.html Kuo, L. E., Kitlinska, J. B., Tilan, J. U., et al. (2007). Neuropeptide Y acts directly in the periphery on fat tissue and mediates stress-induced obesity and metabolic syndrome. Nat. Med., 13 (7), 803–11. Saylor, C. P. (2006). Weight loss, exercise and health research. Commack, N.Y: Nova Science Publishers. TFAH & RWJF. (2008). New Report: Adult Obesity Rates Rise in 37 States, Obesity Rates Now Exceed 25% in More Than Half of States. Retrieved March 30, 2012, from http://healthyamericans.org/newsroom/releases/?releaseid=139 Read More