In America Obesity has been on the rise and has become a national concern. There is a strong coloration between poverty and obesity. Medical Journal of Association listed that “low income obesity is expected to surpass smoking as a leading cause of preventable mortality.” Major contributing factors of people living in poverty and being obese are, the expense of healthy food, the lack of health education, and the lack of money for a safe secure place for recreation
According to a large national study from Public Health Reports, “BMI *Body Mass Index* was higher every year between 1986 and 2002 among adults in in the lowest income group and the lowest education group than adults in the highest income and education groups.” The study represented 6000 people; those with low income had increased BMI and were at a high risk of being obese. “Rates of obesity in children increased by 10% for all children in America ages 10 to 17 years old between the years 2003-2007, but 23 percent increase during the same time period for children living in low-income families.”
On a daily basis low income families are faced with a number of constricts when it comes to choice of food. The lack of money can cause the family to make a poor choice of food consumption. Another huge issue is if food isn’t readily available due to lack of income, skipped meals and snacks happen, which then causes overeating when food is available. Single family households are highly affected by poverty. When single low income parents are on a time crunch it’s easier, faster, and cheaper to get a hamburger at the dollar menu then it is to cook a home cooked meal. Study, published by the UC-Davis Center for Healthcare Policy and Research conducted a research that represented 5,000 people. The study showed that visits to fast food decreased the more money they made annually. International Journal of Health Geographic states that “fast food is characterized as cheap and large portion sizes energy dense foods...