There are many abusive and irrational people with a great deal of money who claim poor people should understand money is not among the most important things in this world. These people often assert that after all health and happiness are not for sale. What such inconsiderate sadists fail to elucidate upon is that it takes a great deal of money to eat well and do other things which are vital for good health and it’s virtually impossible to enjoy happiness without good health. The Times of India reported, kids who are from low-income families are more likely to be obese than kids from wealthy families.
A new study has found that young children and adolescents who are from low-income families are more likely to be obese than their peers from higher income families. The researchers have said that fewer vital resources such as recreational programs and parks along with access to quality full service grocery stores seem to have a more significant impact on the childhood obesity rate than race and ethnicity does. Kim Eagle from the University of Michigan in the United States says that once a community’s income is considered race and ethnicity may not have a significant connection to obesity status.
The University of Michigan Health System reported that when searching for an association between poverty and obesity race does not matter as much as expected. Researchers have found that family income matters a great deal more than race when making predictions of which kids are overweight. Senior author Kim A. Eagle, M.D., who is a cardiologist and director at the University of Michigan Frankel Cardiovascular Center, said the findings from this study show significant variances in the inequalities in the physical and social environment in which kids are raised. In very low income communities where there are few places to play and few good supermarkets there is a promotion of the consumption of low nutrition and fast food with little if any physical activity.
This represents a serious problem for the United States where obesity rates in kids and adults have been rising dramatically. Approximately 18.4 percent of 12-19-year-olds are overweight or obese and obesity in childhood generally continues into adulthood. Obesity is a very serious health condition which can lead to cardiovascular risk factors such as high cholesterol, high blood pressure, and abnormal glucose tolerance or diabetes.
The modifiable factors which can lead to obesity must be aggressively addressed. In view of the clear fact that it takes a substantial amount of money to live well and to eat well the society must aggressively focus on fighting to wipe out poverty and help more families generate wealth if the United States wants to have a healthy society instead of a very sickly society.
