According to Adelle Davis “statistics of illness in the United States are too depressing to examine”. Illnesses that were never even heard of a century ago are striking out population harder than ever. What is worse is these diseases and illnesses have no limits; they strike infants, children and teenagers just as harshly as they do adults and the elderly. The most common disease is obesity and the alarming part is that children are now prone to obesity starting at just three years of age. Based on research done in 2002, obesity rates are rising amongst children younger than ten years old in the United States of America due to low income rates and ethnicity. According to this research, poor income leads to poor meal and entertainment decisions, these two decisions are highly balanced by the culture individuals that then carry on to their children. Our community is largely populated by Hispanics, and Nichman found that “The prevalence of obesity among Hispanic American populations is generally greater than among white populations in the United States”. Not only is our El Paso population highly vulnerable to these diseases because of the culture we carry, but we also house areas of high poverty. Our children are at high risk of this deadly disease, through seemingly harmless characteristics such as culture and economic status.
Food and beverage choices are an outcome of income and poverty levels. Parents with low incomes, or even poverty are often forced to keep a budget when
Various regions of the world have different responses to the issue of obesity. Some cultures view obesity as necessary and attractive while others are taking drastic measures in an attempt to promote a healthy lifestyle. Although some of these drastic changes seem a bit invasive and controversial, policy makers are debating whether it is effective and even whether or not such a policy should be adopted in the United States. According to the article written by Gallagher, a culture sensitive approach should be implemented in order to tackle the issue of global obesity. A study of children of Mexican descent showed that about 32.6% of Mexican children occupying the U.S. are overweight and about 19.2% are obese (Gallagher 2010). The parents observed in this study were serving their children unhealthy foods, such as those from cans and fast food restaurants, due to price and convenience (Gallagher 2010).
Poor nutrition in the United States is indeed a scary factor that continues to lead our citizens to chronic healthcare conditions. The article notes “Health People 2020 states the most affected are non-White, Hispanic adult populations are disproportionately affected by obesity” (Kaiser Foundation Hospital, 2014, p. 6)
The Hispanic cultures view on obesity or having a fuller and heavier child differs from an American’s perspective. Like many cultures around the world, hefty version of themselves is a sign of wealth and opulence. This belief is passed down to their children. Hispanic and Latino mothers believe a heavier child is a good idea and it shows healthy development. “Culture can influence the perception of risk associated with obesity. Studies of Latinos have found that many mothers of obese children believe their child to be healthy and are unconcerned about their child's weight, although these same parents are likely to believe that obese children in general should be taken to a nutritionist or physician for help with weight reduction.” (Caprio
As a nurse working in the home healthcare field for many years, I have enjoyed being an
There is a growing link between food insecurity and the increased prevalence of diabetes in the Latino community. Food insecurity has been shown in the literature to lead to increased diabetic prevalence among the Latino community. According to Fitzgerald et al, food insecurity is defined as “the limited ability to acquire nutritionally adequate and safe foods in socially acceptable ways.” (328) Food insecurity is seen in the form of skipping meals due to work and other obligations. Typically, Latinos have jobs that pay minimum wage and require more hours than a typical nine to five job. It is with these working conditions that lead to shorter lunch breaks and poor food choices. Fast food chains and cultural foods often
In Lisa Miller’s essay “Divided We eat,” she describes her usual morning breakfast that consists of fancy foods and claims that she is a food snob. She then goes into detail about what her neighbor's routine is like, and what Alexandra Ferguson’s morning routine is like. Food is typically a big issue for these families and the parents will usually spend hours thinking about how they will feed their families. Miller and Ferguson later discuss that some children don’t get enough eat, and some of these children are within five miles of them. Miller then tells us that seventeen percent of Americans are food insecure. The income gap has increased and now more Americans are becoming obese because of this.
In the past several decades and according to the State of Obesity “38.9 % of children ages 2-19 are obese in the Latino culture.” The rates of severe obesity are higher amongst these children compared to the White American children.
South Carolina has one of the highest rates of obesity in the nation and, proportionately, more Latino children aged 2–5 years are obese compared to black and white children in the state (Torres, Meetze, & Smithwick-Leone, 2013). In fact, the proportion of obesity among South Carolina Latino children between the ages of 2 and 5 years in 2009 was 37.3% compared to 27.3% and 26.4% for black and white children, respectively (Torres, Meetze, & Smithwick-Leone, 2013). Moreover, in 2011, about half of all middle-school children were not active, and approximately 30% of high school students were considered overweight or obese (Torres, Meetze, & Smithwick-Leone, 2013). These high numbers of overweight and obese children are startling because overweight
As a result of the pervasive power of racism, African Americans and Latino’s consume a high fat and nutritionally low diet, which contributes to their declining health by increasing their a susceptibility to disease. According the American Heart Association (2013), African Americans have a greater chance of contracting heart disease and a 15% higher mortality rate as opposed to their white counterparts, illustrating not only the high prevalence of disease in minorities, but the alarming health disparities plaguing the United States health system. Although, more amicable/civil to blame proximate risk facts of the individual such as their individual diet and exercise habits, it blindly ignores the systemic oppression of residential segregation. Health disparities stem from various factors including a poor nutritional diet; however, all come back to one inescapable conclusion that the oppression of African Americans and Latinos due to residential segregation and institutionalized racism is directly responsible for the influx in chronic disease. The aggregation of minorities into low income communities leading to limited access to fruits and vegetables, paired with the financial burden of healthy eating trap these minorities in a pervasive, toxic cycle, which begs the question: how does residential segregation and institutional racism shape African Americans and Latino’s diet? and What are the consequences of a high fat, nutritionally low diet?
David and Messer (2011) reported on a study by the National Institutes of Health that revealed the rate of infant mortality among African American women living within walking distance of the Capitol was 23.9 per 1,000 live births in 1989 1991 slightly worse than rates during the same time period in Panama and Sri Lanka. Access to prenatal care, the norm for the middle and upper classes, was lacking for this group. Family support, a non-medical factor, was also shown to be generally lacking for the lowest socioeconomic group. Studies have shown that there is a higher rate of obesity among the lower socioeconomic classes (Kanaya, Santoyo-Olsosson, Gregorich, Grossman, Moore, and Stewart, 2012).. Obesity can lead to debilitating or even deadly conditions such as diabetes, heart disease and stroke. Overweight children with poor eating habits are likely to grow into overweight adults with poor eating habits; without education, they do not know how to make positive changes. In addition to the often higher costs of healthier food choices, it also costs money to join a gym or even play school
Mexican Americans make up a big portion of America. According to 2014 population estimates, the Hispanic population is 55.4 million. Of these 55.4 million people Mexican Americans make up 63.9%. Like every other ethnicity we have covered the Mexican American population faces a number of health issues, and obesity is one of those issues.
There exists a close relationship between diabetes and obesity. The two conditions have troubled the global sector, leading to numerous deaths and excessive expenditure. This study evaluates the relationship between exercise/diets with obesity and diabetes among Hispanic and African American populations. The two communities face challenges of contracting diabetes and obesity owing to their lifestyle. There is much to compare among the African American and Hispanic people as far as their culture and observance of healthy living are concerned. The study also presents a future projection of the issues that need addressing to mitigate obesity and
Child overweight and obesity are associated with reduced executive cognitive performance and brain alterations: a magnetic resonance imaging study in Mexican children
Childhood obesity is at an all-time high in the United States, afflicting one in every five children aged 6 to 19. The prevalence of childhood obesity in the U.S. was 17% in 2011-2014. The CDC notes that obesity rates are not equal across ethnicities, noting a prevalence of 21.9% for Hispanics, and 19.5% for non-Hispanic blacks compared to 14.7% for non-Hispanic whites. In this report, we will focus on childhood obesity in low-income communities. Youth in low-income families (which are disproportionately Black and Hispanic) are at greater risk for obesity because they are more likely to live in a neighborhood with unfavorable conditions such as poor housing, unsafe
Researchers and public health experts are worried about obesity towards disadvantaged families because they’re limited to food budgets and choices. Studies analyze that most low-income individuals are far more likely to be obese. It is essential for the public to learn about why people who are struggling financially are most likely to become obese. It will benefit the public to understanding what is important and needed in our society in order to boost awareness of unhealthy food that deprived families or individuals consume. An economic approach will support how deprived individuals consume unhealthy food at a low-cost. A psychological approach will support how poor people use food as a sense of comfort through problematic times. Lastly, the angle of sociology will be used to portray lower-income neighborhoods and how obesity affects families in these neighborhoods in a sociological matter.