Abstract:
Health disparities associated with Food and nutrition appear to cause a serious concern. Especially, families surviving on low wages and experiencing food insecurity are at risk of contracting obesity and overweight. There is a need to develop awareness on the factors that contribute to such issues. The present study intends to highlight the literature that better dissects the link between low income/ food insecurity and obesity and overweight, and also proposes a mini plan to overcome the issue. Here, a web search was carried out to retrieve pertinent information from the sources. The search results revealed that families on low wages and food insecurity encounter obesity and overweight due to the influence of factors such as society norms, low action of stakeholders, poor access to resources, cultural background of people, and others. A suitable strategy appears very suggestive to meet the needs of people who encounter health disparities driven by low socio –economic status.
Health care needs of people are diverse. They tend to evolve as a given health complication occurs and interferes with the daily living activities of people. In order to manage such situation, a focus on the etiology or contributing agent of a health abnormality is mandatory. Etiologic factors could be of genetic, biochemical and environmental origin. However, certain living conditions or more probably the socio economic status of the people plays key role in influencing the disease development. There seems to be diverse opinions on the role of such social conditions and it is essential to review the literature.
In such context, the present description deals with highlighting a topic entitled ‘Why Low Income and Food Insecure People are vulnerable to overweight and obesity.
Briefly, Obesity refers to a situation where individuals possess body fat in higher levels (Obesity, 2015).Whenever, an individual consumes calories in exceeded levels. Obesity enhances the risk of acquiring complications such as stroke, diabetes, heart disorders, arthritis and some malignancies. On the other hand, overweight could refer to a case when the weight of the individual is much above the normal range or heavy. According to the authentic agencies like NIH (National Institutes of Health), overweight is calculated by dividing the individuals’ weight with their height. BMI was found to have a potential correlation with the overall fat composition of the body in adults (Overweight, 2015).
Existing statistics have revealed the strong connection between low income and obesity. For instance, a 2009’s data from PeDNSS (Paediatric Nutrition Surveilance System) indicated that a 33% of 3.7 million children aged between 2 and 4, and from the low-waged families were overweight or obese and the obese were nearly 542,000.
Likewise, as per a 2009 census data of US, the proportion of individuals in US living under the conditions of poverty constitute the highest one in the previous fifty years’ calculations on poverty (Obesity-Among Low Income Preschool Children, n.d).
In connection with this, researchers have lighted that in developed nations, obesity was strongly regarded as a condition that increasingly targets population of lower socioeconomic status (SES) compared to the population with SES of higher degree (Dinsa et al., 2012).
In developing nations, there was a controversy on a case that if obesity mainly impacts the rich or the poor. Some have observed a positive association between Obesity and SES in developing nations. But, Obesity also served as an important issue of the rich in such countries. Reports that appeared later indicated that a positive correlation between increased SES and obesity could become an inverse correlation if one switches from the nations with a decreased human development index (HDI) to nations with increased HDI (Dinsa et al., 2012).
It was reported that families surviving on low-wages encounter a decreased accessibility to hygienic food selections and chances for keeping their body active physically. Majority of these individuals require the closely located retailer shops that offer a cost effective and hygienic food as that required by minority and rural communities. In addition, majority of communities on low wages posses a limited or no access to recreation spots, gardens, and sidewalks that could be regarded as not safe. These instances serve as obstacles to the physical activity specific leisure time.
So, majority of families have taken a initiative to approach the interventions specific to public health like infants and the children program, special supplemental nutritional program for women to meet the requirements of children whose age is below 5 years (Obesity-Among Low Income Preschool Children, n.d).
Some other sources mentioned that families with decreased income very often fall short of access to farmer’s trade centers and grocery shops (Why Low-Income and Food Insecure People are Vulnerable to Overweight and Obesity, 2010). These are the places that enable people to purchase dairy items with low-fat, whole grains, vegetables and fruits. Many U.S based studies have observed discrepancies among the neighborhoods with regard to the restricted accessibility to the stores that are within their reach and fair accessibility to the supermarkets. Those who have better access were found to get hygienic nutrition and decreased obesity risk.
This hygienic food appears to become expensive on availability while fats, added sugars and refined grains stay normally cost efficient and easily reach the communities with low income. It is apparent that families with restricted resources who attempt to purchase sufficient food frequently also attempt to extend their budgeted estimates by buying cost efficient energy-rich foods. It is these foods with which they like to optimize the calorie content per a unit dollar with the goal of avoiding their hunger (Why Low-Income and Food Insecure People are Vulnerable to Overweight and Obesity, 2010).
On the other hand, a relatively energy rich and cost efficient foods as usual possess decreased quality in terms of nutrition and exceeded calorie intake was associated with obesity.
More particularly, hygienic foods on their availability that appear fresh on shelves remain with substandard quality in neighborhoods of low income. This is suppressing the zeal of buyers to purchase them.
Communities with decreased income possess increased chances of getting to fast food courts, more probably at educational institutions. These food courts serve as nutrient-sub standard and multiple energy rich foods with reduced cost.
As a result, this mode of fast food intake was found to contribute to a diet that is finally of low nutrient and high calorie value and thier intake, very often,could contribute to increased weight (Why Low-Income and Food Insecure People are Vulnerable to Overweight and Obesity, 2010).
Further, certain drawbacks from the key stakeholders were also believed to cause the issue of food insecurity associated with obesity. Reports mentioned that researchers and policymakers were attempting to facilitate strategies in the social-ecological domain to overcome the problem of obesity linked poverty (Ganter et al., 2015). In this regard, approaches that allow the participation of families with low wages appear very limited. Added to this, stakeholders were also unable to develop awareness on the magnitude of obstacles experienced by the households. So, the study team had taken a initiative to review thew stakeholder developed reports on the obstacles experienced by the families with low wages. They employed a Family Ecological Model (FEM) where an interview in semi-structure format was carried out for one year. The interview was administered for 40 stakeholders from two community groups involved a program on preventing childhood obesity. The stakeholders constituted health care, programs specific to after schools, represented schools, children, early care, education and special supplemental nutrition program for women (Ganter et al., 2015).
As a result, the study team observed that the stakeholder reports on obstacles of low-income of households had potentially overlapped with FEM. The reports also implied the knowledge of key factors that might impact the adoption of behaviors by the family with regard to the hygienic life style. These factors are i) contextual elements such as education, family cultural values and community resource availability and ii) emotional and social dynamics such as chronic life stressors, poor faith of health care experts who offer care, social rules and awareness among family members (Ganter et al., 2015).
The study implied that stakeholders’ opinions were on agreement with the parents of low-income households. This trend appeared to prevail among various sectors and communities thus suggesting the need of strategies for avoiding obesity.The study also implied that stakeholders need occasional updates with regard to the health status of low income communities (Ganter et al., 2015). A defect in this area could increase the likelihood of food insecurity and thereafter health complications like obesity and overweight
Cultural implications:
Evidence mentions that culture serves as a dynamic pillar in supporting the understandings/or opinions in a shared fashion and that vary always (Caprio, et al., 2008). Such understandings become organized through the incidents of the group or the individual persons. For example, beliefs associated with practical norms for involving in the behavior specific to health-promotion such as exercise and diet; entertaining activities such as video games or television watching, undergo variations dramatically. This could occur as a given ethnic group member experiences and learns to consider the innovative approaches, while disregarding the traditional approaches (Caprio, et al., 2008). In this regard, culture was thought to induce inequities with regard to childhood obesity from several corners. Culture could impact the practices specific to child-feeding with regard to behaviors, values and beliefs associated with several foods. Immigrant families become easily affected by the availability, ingredients, cost-factor, and popularity of foods that makes them to either keep or eliminate some conventional foods and to rely on new foods mixed with the original culture.
For instance, school-age children who were bilingual from immigrant families and representing Mexican ethnicity play role as dietary naturalization agents by disregarding the home made low calorie value conventional foods and considering a comparatively calorie rich foods, snacks, and beverages they take at educational institutions or see adds on television. They could also avoid the parent’s efforts to provide traditional foods (Caprio, et al., 2008).
Likewise, on the cultural domain, understandings among people in a shared pattern influence the food consumption and better define about the hygienic and unhygienic foods. Say, immigrants representing Hmong race in California were of the opinion that fresh food is the sole hygienic source while a canned or frozen food and meals at schools are not hygienic. It was reported that conventional food intake with family could decrease the obesity risk in few children like among Asians and it could enhance the obesity risk in different children, like among African Americans.
Similarly, in the population, cultural changes are mediated by novel group migration, group’s residential separation as set by ethnic and cultural factors, initial language maintenance and the immigrant’s second generation, presence of family or community related bodies, clubs and religious institutions (Caprio, et al., 2008). On the other hand, naturalization and globalization together facilitate variations in culture and its identity. Globalization represents the social system where the limitations specific to geography on cultural and social plans undergo a minimization could impact obesity via the promotion of specific factors. These include transition in the worldwide disease burden, heightened gap between the poor and rich, food marketing specific communication, energy-rich food and food processing related investments, manufacture and distribution of high –fat foods, and movement of individuals from nations of low to high income. Likewise, naturalization could involve variations in the styles of primitive culture of a given group when it interacts with the other one. It could impact the obesity occurrence by facilitating the withdrawal of conventional faith and behavior which appears to reduce the overweight risk and the acceptance of faith and behavior which appears to enhance the overweight risk (Caprio, et al., 2008).
So, both globalization and naturalization contribute to alterations in the choices for specific food items and leisure events, educational and financial chances. But, these alterations could vary with groups representing ethnic communities. Say, Latino and Asian adolescents of first-generation were reported to possess increased intake of vegetable and fruit, and decreased intake of soda compared to white people (Caprio, et al., 2008). As the generations pass, the consumption of such foods among the Asians could stay unchanged. On the other hand, the intake of fruits and vegetables among the Latinos could reduce while the intake of their soda rises. As a result, the nutrition status of Latinos goes poorer compared to whites in the third generation.
Similarly, researchers also observed significant link between naturalization and decreased frequency to involve in physical activity among the adolescents representing 7th-grade Asian American and Latino communities. This indicates that cultural implications play important role in influencing obesity and overweight (Caprio, et al., 2008). So, it can be stated that low-income families appear to encounter disparities influenced by cultural norms, migration and certain society norms. Several statements from the authentic reports have strengthened that families with low wages are at risk of acquiring a health complications like obesity.
However, this trend which is problematic to certain communities could not be accepted and a points out the need of proper agenda for risk minimization.
Position and plan:
In view of the accumulated evidence, the position is that health disparities specific to obesity and overweight driven by low income conditions require an immediate check from the authentic health agencies across various communities. The rationale for such action is that health disparities could take a new twist, thereby worsen and cause an alarming situation. There appear to be certain misconceptions about the food choices among the low waged families accompanied with the societal negligence. So, many environmental conditions or community norms are forcing low waged families to get adhered to high calorie diet that is role playing in the development of obesity and overweight. It is reasonable to support that low income and food insecure people are vulnerable to these conditions.
Thesis statement: Low income and food insecure people could overcome obesity and overweight through suitable heath interventions.
It can be argued that low income related health disparities are induced by the health care system resources in a given region. This is leaving many low income families perceive health care as huge burden and even develop negative emotions. In one study, researchers stated that, SES has an inverse relationship with body weight (Bove & Olson, 2011). They carried out a interview on women for a three year duration. They observed that resources related to transportation were poorer that made few women restricted to the houses.
Here, the houses served as the centers that provide only a limited physical activity. Likewise, another issue was that the food supplies intended for houses appear varying and caused alterations in the eating styles and food consumption (Bove & Olson, 2011). In this case, a negative emotion had developed due to being confined to rural regions and interfered with eating. So, this study implied that women who lack economical benefits are susceptible to obesity. Further, the study also indicated that an association exists between the pressures driven from poorer conditions in rural regions and physical activity among women, body image, eating styles and body mass. These trends appear to strengthen the awareness of health related social inequalities and might even play role in devising the research that intends to enhance the health conditions of familes with low –income (Bove & Olson, 2011).
Hence, the present position supporting the link between low income and obesity/ overweight could be defended in the light of potential reports that highlighted the role of certain key contributing factors. Another viewpoint is that the researchers stress on the need of personalized interventions that agree with the environment and culture of the people. For instance, reimbursement of insurance is the important barrier in treating the children with obesity. So, research implying the needful in the the mode of care delivery necessity appears to indicate the existence of health disparities that more likely trouble families with low income.
The ethical premise is that the members of low income families, especially parents must come forward as the key agents of decision making with regard to their rights, duties to offer protection to those at risk for obesity, for example children, and opinions that obesity is a condition of neglect as children do not possess the ability to assess the pros and cons of the treatment (Perryman, 2011).
Plan of action:
A suitable plan to prevent Obesity and overweight is needed for the families that encounter low income and food insecurity issues. Researchers could screen and select the vulnerable low income families across various communities. They could administer strategies like ehealth approach. E-health, refers to the provision of health related services and facts through the web and the associated technologies (Mackert et al., 2009). It offers chances for interventions that work for a given health issue.
In the research plan, investigators will be employing the digital media that could enable tailored messages as per the personal and cultural backgrounds of individuals. The research team will also employ this strategy in educating the people who use it and aim for changes in behavior.
The benefit of this tool is that it serves as very interactive and could improve learning. Earlier, several investigators have employed e-health in educating the users with regard to labels specific to nutrition composition and behavior changes associated with consumption of high quantity of vegetables and fruits and enhancing the physical activity (Mackert et al., 2009).
Other method to be used in the plan is use of ‘parenting and child behavioral regulation’ system.It is a kind of assessing knowledge through tests and reports of parents. The benefits could be improvement of knowledge specific to nutrition among children and physical activity, and reduced television watching. This method could also be employed as the family-centered strategy to promote health in children in their earlier stages (Dawson-McClure et al., 2014).
So, in the plan, both these tools will be employed in educating the food assistance volunteers and agencies. These agents are those who strive to understand the sufferings of families that attempt to cover the gaps left by the food security issues of the community (Food insecurity, 2015). The existing status regarding food insecurity issue among the low income families appears to be significant. The research plan could address the needful areas where one could expect a minimum health care issue. According to a report, nearly 23% of families in West Virginia do not possess access to foods for a one year period. This made the food practitioners and policy makers to strive for ‘’zero tolerance policy for food security and hunger’ (Food insecurity, 2015)’.
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