Abstract
The relationship between obesity and poverty has become more obvious and complex: being poor in one of the poorest countries may be associated with poor nutrition, while being poor in a developed country could mean a higher risk of obesity. Obesity is a problem for all races and ethnic groups in the United States and, generally speaking, affects people of all income levels. But a higher proportion of the poor, minorities, and the less educated tend to be obese. The mission of medicine is to develop scientific and practical bases for disease prevention and to devise effective ways to educate the public about health risks. None of this is to deny that social conditions, especially poverty, affect physical well-being and length of life.
In this chapter, we will explain different types of poverty and will identify how socioeconomic groups with low personal capital, low health capital, and low social capital have higher obesity rates than socioeconomic groups with higher endowments of intangible capital. We will support the idea that although government programs help the poor, poverty remains high because the inequality of economic outcomes has increased sharply.
Access this chapter
Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout
Purchases are for personal use only
References
Blisard N, Stewart H, Jolliffe D (2004) Low-income households expenditures on fruits and vegetables. (Report No. 833). Retrieved 1 May 2004, from http://www.ers.usda.gov/publications/aer-agricultural-economic-report/aer833.aspx
Braveman P (2006) Health disparities and health equality: concepts and measurement. Annu Rev Public Health 27:167–194
Braveman, P.& Gottlieb, L. (2014). The Social determinants of health: It’s time to consider the causes of the causes, Public Health Reports, Jan/Feb, Supplement 2; 2(129):19–31.
Center for Disease Control and Prevention. (2012). Childhood Obesity Facts, RetrievedMay 2016, from https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/obesity/facts.htm
Chandran R (2015) Some countries have become less unequal. Retrieved 20 May 2015, from http://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-05-20/some-countries-have-become-less-unequal
Darmon N, Ferguson EL, Briend A (2002) A cost constraint alone has adverse effects on food selection and nutrient density: an analysis of human diets by linear programming. J Nutr 132:3764–3771
Dazinger S (2013) The mismeasure of poverty. The New York Times, p A21
Economic Research Service of the USDA (n.d.) Retrieved 17 July 2013, from http://www.ers.usda.gov/media/224301/err55.pdf
Haveman R, Wolf EN (2004) The concept and measurement of asset poverty: levels, trends and composition for the U. S., 1983–2001. J Econ Inequal 2(2):145–169
Heggeness ML, Hokayem C (2013) Life on the edge: living near poverty in the United States, 1966–2011. U.S. Census Bureau SEHSD Working Paper 2013–02, Washington, DC
Henderson LJ (2007) Obesity, poverty and diversity: theoretical and strategic challenges. In: Zoltan J, Acs Z, Lyles A (eds) Obesity, business, and public policy. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham, pp 57–75
Hobbes T (1998) Leviathan. Oxford University Press, Oxford
Jargowsky PA (1996) Take the money and run: economic segregation in U.S. metropolitan areas. Am Sociol Rev 61(6):984–988
Jenkins HW (2013) Coke and the calories wars. The Wall Str J:A11
Meyer BD, Sullivan JX (2003) Measuring the well-being of the poor using income and consumption. J Hum Resour 38(Supplemental Material):1180–1220
Meyer BD, Sullivan JX (2006) Consumption, income, and material well-being after welfare reform (Working Paper No.11976). National Bureau of Economic Research, Cambridge, MA
Meyer BD, Sullivan JX (2008) Changes in the consumption, income, and well-being of single mother headed families. Am Econ Rev 98(5):2221–2241
Meyer BD, Sullivan JX (2012) Winning the war: poverty from the great society to the great recession. Brookings papers on economic activity, Retrieved 5 July 2016, from http://www.brookings.edu/~/media/Projects/BPEA/Fall%202012/2012b_Meyer.pdf
Monteiro CA, Moura EC, Conde WL, Popkin BM (2004) Socioeconomic status and obesity in adult populations of developing countries: a review. Bull World Health Organ 82(12):940–946
Morland K, Wing S, Roux AD, Poole G (2002) Neighborhood characteristics associated with the location of food stores and food service places. Am J Preventative Med 22:23–29
Satel S, Marmor TR (2001) Does inequality make you sick? The Weekly Standard, Retrieved 12 June 2015 from http://www.weeklystandard.com
Sobal J, Stunkard AJ (1989) Socioeconomic status and obesity: a review of the literature. Psychol Bull 105(2):260–275
Subramanian SV, Kawachi I (2004) Income inequality and health: what have we learned so far? Epidemiol Rev 26(1):78–91
Tomer JF (2011) What causes obesity? And why has it grown so much? Challenge 54(4):22
Tomer JF (2008) Intangible capital: its contribution to economic growth, well-being and rationality. Edward Elgar, Cheltenham
Wilkinson R, Pickett K (2009) Why greater equality makes societies stronger: the spirit level. Bloomsbury Press, New York
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Rights and permissions
Copyright information
© 2017 The Author(s)
About this chapter
Cite this chapter
Alavi Hojjat, T., Hojjat, R. (2017). Socioeconomic Factors: Poverty and Obesity. In: The Economics of Obesity. SpringerBriefs in Public Health. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2911-0_4
Download citation
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-10-2911-0_4
Published:
Publisher Name: Springer, Singapore
Print ISBN: 978-981-10-2910-3
Online ISBN: 978-981-10-2911-0
eBook Packages: MedicineMedicine (R0)