Obesity in Low Income Families

Obesity in Low Income Families

Why families with low income are vulnerable to obesity:

Families who live in rural and urban communities have little to not access to healthy or affordable foods.

These families go through cycles of food deprivation and over eating.

Children who come from families with low incomes have limited opportunities for physical activity.

Families who have low incomes have limited access to health care.

Families who have low incomes are stressed due to financial issues.

• lack of grocery stores and farmers' markets in their community
• healthy food is not as affordable as unhealthy foods
• healthy food that is available is of poor quality
• fast food restaurants are of greater availability

• there is a lack of physical activity resources
• physical activity resources that are available may not be attractive to children
• Crime, traffic, and unsafe playground equipment
• people of low income families are less likely to participate in organized sports

• these families have little to no access to basic health care or if it is available it is lower quality
• results in obesity or diabetes

• these families endure high levels of stress caused by financial issues that result in limited access to food

• when food becomes available families tend to overeat due to immense hunger and fear of not being able to eat again soon
• parents will eat less food and would rather give it to their children to keep them from starving

Obesity is a greater problem among people who are less educated or earn lower incomes.

• Coloradans making $25,000 or less have a 24 percent obesity rate while those making $75,000 and above have a 16 percent rate.

Assistance for Low-Income Families

• Temporary Assistance for Needy Families
• Food Stamps
• Special Supplemental Food Program for Women, Infants, and Children
• Medicaid

References

• Mabli, J., Castner, L., Ohls, J., Fox, M., Crepinsek, M., Condon., E. (2010). Food Expenditures and Diet Quality Among Low-Income Households and Individuals, 129.
• Food Research and Action Center. (2010). Why Low-Income and Food Insecure People are Vulnerable to Overweight and Obesity, 1.
• Family and Consumer Science. (2003). Nutritional Status of Low-Income Families, 1.
• Roblesa, Brenda and Frost, Stephanie and Moore, Lucas C., Harris, Carole V. and Bradlyn, Andrew S., Kuao, Tony. "Overweight and obesity among low-income women in rural West Virginia and urban Los Angeles County." (2014). Preventive Medicine Volume 67, Supplement 1.
• Dawon-Mcclure, Spring and Brotman, Laurie M. and Theise, Rachelle and Palamar, Joseph., Kamboukos, Dimitra and Barajas, Gabriela and Calzada, Esther. “Early Childhood Obesity Prevention in Low-Income, Urban Communities.” Department of Population Health, New York University Langone Medical Center, New York, New York, USA (2014).
• “Income, Education and Obesity: A Closer Look at Inequities in Colorado’s Obesity Problem.” The Colorado Health Foundation 2008.