According to a recent report, the poorer you are, the more at risk you become for a host of weight-related issues. This information is nothing new: it’s practically common knowledge to associate being poor with less-healthy diets.
But a recent study by the University of Wisconsin’s Population Health Institute highlighted just how much of a role wealth plays in the general population’s health. When comparing two New York City boroughs, Manhattan and the Bronx, the differences in wealth and health were staggering despite being only a few subway stops apart.
Some of the key differences presented by the findings:
- Manhattan’s employment rate is 7% vs. the Bronx’s 12%
- 82% of Manhattan’s adults have completed come college vs. 42% in the Bronx
- 27% of Manhattan’s children live in poverty vs. 41% in the Bronx
- 36% of Manhattan’s restaurants are fast food compared with 63% in the Bronx
Is healthy food too expensive?
One of the arguments that subsists for unhealthy diets among the less wealthy is the prohibitive cost of purchasing healthy food. But is it really that expensive to eat healthy? Perhaps in the New York City area where food often has to be shipped, the cost of food can definitely be a prohibiting factor. Many New Yorkers lament that eating out is oftentimes substantially cheaper than grocery shopping.
But what is the excuse for the rest of the country? Farmers markets abound. Grocery specials are there every week. Creating a menu plan can often be the key to success in creating a budget, sticking to it, and still having enough to create healthy meals throughout the week. But if it’s so easy, why isn’t everyone doing it?
Time constraints of the lower class
Sometimes, I believe it is not just the actual cost of food, but the cost of time that prevents the lower class from eating healthy. Eating healthy often requires time constraints that the lower class doesn’t have access to. Many lower-class workers often work several minimum wage jobs to make ends meet.
Stopping at a fast food chain for 29 cent burritos (what do they put in them?!) can often be cheaper—and faster—than planning out a gourmet healthy meal.
How the Government is Affecting People’s Health
Are the government subsidies really helping the lower class? Or are they simply contributing to the very problems the government is trying to solve: obesity?
While the USDA does not track consumption by food stamp recipients, it is widely known that most consumption of the lower class is not in the healthy arena. Many initiatives to limit food stamp purchases to those of the healthy variety have failed.
However, in WIC (Women, Infants and Children), purchases are restricted, but the limitations haven’t exactly garnered a shift toward healthy eating due to the imposed restrictions and countless limitations.
So what is the solution? How do we get our society to make the shift toward healthy eating? Perhaps the government has realized it can’t solve every problem.
Wealth and health are correlated, but I don’t think that wealth necessarily causes health. If you look at the culture of higher income people, they are much more focused on health. It’s actually a major part of their identity. Everything from smoking rates, to food choices, to exercise rates are substantially improved in more wealthy individuals. Often to the point of lunacy. For example only the upper class really cares about gluten free, organic, veganism and every other diet fad. Not to mention exercise fads – hot yoga anyone?
I think it would be great if our public education system included classes on nutrition and cooking. And followed that through with having descent school lunches instead of the swill they served when I was young. And while we’re at it, meaningful physical education classes would be helpful as well. In high school, I had one semester of PE. It consisted entirely of running. Hardly adequate or structured in any way that would attract people to healthy living.
Well said MFIJ couldn’t agree with you more. If the Education System really wanted to ‘educate’, rather than ‘control’ they would offer classes to teach people to feed themselves nutritious meals. About the PE in high school, mine was the same way, it was just a way for us to get some energy out in the middle of the day, totally lacked structure.
Good point MFIJ, They should really focus on education and prevention rather than trying to fix the problem before it happens.
Too often, we look for answers and use statistics to prove our own points. The disparity between Manhattan and the Bronx is more than wealth. Poor people make bad choices and money has very little to do with their choices. I teach in a low socioeconomic neighborhood. The students won’t eat the cafeteria food because they say it is nasty. I suggest that they eat fruit or cereal (individual). The food is free for these students. Obviously, my suggestions are healthy choices instead they spend $2 on a sods and a bag of cheetos. The parents of these low socioeconomic kids come to school in relatively new cars, but they live in rundown apartments. The students all have the latest iPod, iPhone or sneakers. These are only a few of the bad choices I see everyday and I am sure there are others. BTW, every high school student in Califorina and probably the country is required to take a health class.
Krantcents, first of all thank you for your service! It is comforting to know that a teacher such as yourself, cares enough to point out to the children that maybe they ought to eat something else besides soda and cheetos. It is sad to see that the students see more value in the latest IPod, sneakers, etc, etc, rather than their health. That just comes down to poor parenting and unfortunately the negative media influence which has ravaged this country.
Great points. I would also agree with the education argument in that we’re really not doing a whole lot in terms o educating people in terms of how to eat healthy. It’s generally viewed as being easier to pick up that fast food or make a boxed meal, but those short term decisions also have longer term costs (in general). I loved your point about the fast food restaurants. I often have thought that we’re not doing anyone any favors by having more fast food joints in the poorer/more urban areas.
Healthy food may be more expensive, but the only way to make it any cheaper would be for the government to provide further subsidies to farmers. It’s not such a bad idea either, because the healthier people are, the better they will feel, and the harder they will be able to work.
Most farmers take on extreme amounts of debt though.
Agreed and it would also be cheaper if we could find a way to get the cost of fuel down. Fuel and labor costs have a direct impact on the price of goods and services. You are quite right that many farmers take on a lot of debt, often times though it is for a short period of time, in order to fund planting or harvest costs. Thanks for the great insight!
Yes, it’s true that we’re not educating and it needs to start in elementary school when children are so impressionable. At the same time, at what point do people take personal responsibility and don’t make it someone else’s burden to learn about proper health? Do we literally have to spoon feed health education (pun unintended)? Maybe that is the answer, I don’t know.
Educating people about healthy choices in food consumption is half the battle, the other half is lowering the price of food especially healthy and organic produce which is way more expensive than genetically modified or chemically grown produce. Maybe we should look at building farming communities where a piece of land in the city is dedicated to farming only, so people can have access to food at a more than decent price and where the community contributes to maintaining and growing the produce. If they want to save money at the grocery stores than they’d have to by from local farmers instead of shipping in Chinese produce which ironically is priced lower than the locally grown produce. Probably the abundance of imported produce plays role in raising the price of scarce localized farming.
Great point, I think that is an unbelievable idea, wonder if it is being done anywhere.
Great points all the way around. I would also argue that self-esteem is a factor. Those with worse financial situations often suffer from lower self-esteem, which may influence their health choices as well. Case in point : since we started our road to debt free, we are feeling better about ourselves, and subsequently, making better health choices as well. The “what’s the use?” feeling is disappearing!
Well said Laurie, I agree that low self-esteem and poor eating choices go hand in hand. I think that, people with difficult financial situations are often in one parent families and because of this eat a lot of fast food and sugary drinks.
As some others have pointed out, it is more than income. I live in an area that has a lot of very low income people… but most of them grew up in middle class or above neighbourhoods. Other than our shared penchant for alcohol and the odd smoker, almost everyone eats quite well and takes good care of their bodies. Most live here for lifestyle and live around or below the poverty line.
By far, one of the most effective programs I have seen was run by the Y and my housemate worked with them. It was a program for families and high risk children. Doctors prescribed their participation in the program. It had sports in environments that encouraged participation and fun by the non-athletic, fat kids. It had counselling for parents, siblings and the kids. It had instruction and workshops for the parents and kids, separately and together. It had family physical activities, family physical activities and grocery store trips. It really worked to be all encompassing and to change basic habits in the entire family, in order to benefit the kids and the rest of their families.
Anne, the Y has some great programs, they are certainly doing their part to promote healthy living. There are some other good programs too, but I think most of it comes back to the way in which you are brought up. My mother was really into fruits, vegetables and regular exercise. As a result that it what I saw, and have adopted into my life. For children who see their parents or parent (in many cases) eating unhealthy foods and leading a sedentary lifestyle, that is typically how they will live.
I think your arguments are very legit. I believe it is time which prevents many from eating healthy. Many people do not cook at home and if a family goes to a standard restaurant, you pay 80 – 100 dollars for a dinner for family of four. Many times the fast food is a cheap and quick solution. I also have read this study earlier that health and wealth goes hand in hand, and it works both ways. If you are always dieting, unhealthy and still fat you will most likely never become rich and if it happens (a lottery for example) you will experience a yo-yo effect and get poor again.
Well said, that is often times what happens to lottery winners, they are rich one day then poor a few years later!