Rich People Are Fat Too
May 2, 2005 – 11:45 pmI read this article today about how the rich-poor gap in the United States is actually narrowing…the gap in fatness, that is. I had not thought about it before, but it makes perfect sense that poor people experience greater per capita obesity than the affluent do. Before Ariele and I started dating, I probably couldn’t point out a fresh vegetable in a lineup, but now I eat them somewhat frequently. And yes, they are plainly more expensive than eating junk.
Anyway, the author points out researchers are confused about the findings that the more affluent are becoming increasingly obese. It’s not the lack of disposable income needed to buy fresh fruits and vegetables that’s causing the problem. One hypothesis is that the number of hours the more affluent work per week has been increasing over the last several decades, and increased working hours means less time to prepare healthy meals at home and less time for regular exercise. I’m not sure if that hypothesis is true or not, but this is another consequence of the rich-poor gap that I had not thought about before.
4 Responses to “Rich People Are Fat Too”
Hey Jeff - One of the reasons many people who are poor experience obesity actually has a lot to do with food insecurity - i.e. households that experience some sort of food shortage by the end of the month. Many poor families are unable to afford nutritious food, so they end up buying processed foods - high in fat and carbs. This results in obesity. Many people don’t realize, but 32 million Americans experience hunger every day. That’s a lot of people. Bread for the World is currently working a domestic campaign about nutrition programs. Our legislation seeks to strengthen local nutrition programs as one avenue for addressing hunger in this nation.
By Holly on May 3, 2005 at 10:46 pm
Hey Holly. Yes, I agree with you that, after thinking about it, it makes great sense that the poor, even while being without much, if any, disposable income, would be the most likely to become obese. I suppose it’s a play on the word “hunger”; while these people obviously aren’t “hungry” in the traditional sense of the word, they are hungry for the foods that compose a healthy diet. I’m sure there’s hunger in the traditional sense as well, but the article is talking about this second form, where decreasing disposable income causes families to try to provide a sufficient amount of food by purchasing inexpensive foods that are high in fat and carbs, like you say.
It really is an unfortunate situation, one in which hunger programs like the one of which you speak play a very important role. And, like almost any other societal problem, one that can be attacked quite successfully with basic forms of education.
By jjk on May 4, 2005 at 1:25 am
Not to make light of a serious situation…ah shoot, I’m going to. I am one of those Americans who experience hunger every day. Usually I experience it right before lunch.
By Dixie on May 4, 2005 at 10:42 am
I’m frequently surprised by just how expensive supermarkets in the US are, relative to fast food outlets. In particular, things like bread, fruit and vegetables seem very expensive. It really is often cheaper to buy pre-made food from a fast food chain, than it is to cook something more nutritious — which is not the case in, say, South Africa.
I really wonder what it is that changes the prices of different sources of food in different countries. It might be presentation — supermarkets pay more for produce that looks really nice. Anyway, it’s weird!
By Paul.za on May 5, 2005 at 11:21 am