What is the correlation between low-income/poverty and obesity?!
Question: I dont want to sound mean, but why are so many poor people or lower income people so FAT? Is it that they lack money to buy healthly foods or that they lack education about how to live a more healthy life? Does this lead to people believing that people are poor because they are lazy because it is easy to assume that fat people are lazy? Any idiot knows that being overweight is bad for you, so lacking the ivy league education is no excuse. And a plate of salad is just as available and cheap as a big mac, so it comes down to choice. If you look back in history, being fat was associated with WEALTH. Poor people were skinny and under nourished, royalty were fat and happy. Now this trend has reversed...rich people somehow manage to stay skinny, and poor people get fatter by the moment. Whats going on?
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Contrary to most people's opinion it's not the cost of food that's leads to high rates of obesity in low-income people. It's the lack of education. Most aren't educated about nutrition which leads to poor food choices. If you go to your local supermarket and do a price comparison study (which I've done for a research project) you'll find that the cost of fruits, vegetables, whole wheat breads and pastas, and chicken are about equal to the cost of buying the ingredients to make some of these high calorie, low nutritious foods. Because they lack knowledge about correction portion size, daily fat intake, starches they tend to make poor choices. Most think a single serving means you eat one plate, which we all know to be incorrect. It also has to do with learned patterns. If they were raised in low income situations most of their recipes come from what they grew up on during a time when underprivileged people didn't really have a much, but found comfort in food. Which is a Southern tradition big meals replaced expensive living. So to answer your question regarding the correlation between income and obesity.there is a negative correlation as income goes down the likelihood of obesity increases.
Other Answers:
people used to eat to their heart's content and they did not work or exercise; poor people did not have that luxury and they worked long, hard days. Nowadays you have health conscious people who eat organic foods (which are pretty expensive), and other foods such as tofu, and etc. Whereas you have people on welfare and people who are poor that would rather choose fatty foods (most with little to no nutritional value, which makes them feel hungry more often, making them want to eat more.) But since these foods are cheap, they eat and eat. I don;t know. I'm just going by what I have observed, seen, and heard.
its super expensive to eat healthy. low cost food are almost always unhealthy and it hard to work out after working hard all day for a low wage
First off, I know of many wealthy overweight people, and healthy weight low-income people.
However, it is very easy for people living at or below the poverty line to become obese.
For one, it is more expensive to eat better. To consume, let's say 2000 calories, of fresh & healthy food will cost much more than 2000 calories of highly processed and fattening foods.
Another thing is food can become an addiction just like alcohol, drugs, or cigarettes.
If you are living in poverty, you are likely to be more stressed, and therefore likely to seek something comforting. And we all know about those "comfort" foods.
Historically the roles have changed because both the avaliable foods, and society has changed.
Society now says "you can't be too rich or too thin" (both a load of B.S. I say!) And the rich have the means to stay thin. They have the money to buy the better foods, to pay for the gym memberships with the personal trainers, & to purchase the tickets to this that and the other events that keep them busy and active.
I'm sure there are lazy poor people, just as there are wealthy people who became wealthy be sleeping with the right people. And I'm sure that some fat people are lazy, just as there are thin people paying to have the fat sucked out of them rather than exercise it off.
So, the part of your question."Does this lead to people believing that people are poor because they are lazy because it is easy to assume that fat people are lazy?".I would reply, it might, but they would surely be ignorant to believe such.
I hope this helped to answer your question, but hey...
It's Just My Opinion ;-}
people low income are usually out of shape
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