...Tiffany Ritter The Editorial Reflection English 151 11 November 2012 Can You Afford to Eat Healthy? The obesity rate in the United States continues to rise year after year. Researchers are working to find the cause and reverse it. The problem is there is more than just one cause; we just have to find the biggest issue and fix it. The cost of healthy foods is not in the price range of many Americans; therefore, they continue to eat cheaper, fattier foods. Obesity rates could be reduced if the prices on healthy foods were reduced and more accessible to the general public. Cost is a major factor when shopping for groceries for many families. If healthy foods were more affordable than unhealthy food and snacks, Americans would choose to buy them more often than not. The amount of low income families in the United States is continuing to rise. Sullivan says, “Census figures for 2011 show that the official poverty rate will rise from 15.1% in 2010, climbing as high as 15.7%, putting poverty at the highest level since 1965” (“U.S. Poverty Nearing Highest Rate Since 1965”). Therefore, the number of people who will be able to afford healthy foods will continue to decrease. Low income families tend to buy cheaper foods because they have no other option. For example, the McDonalds menu offers a cheap and affordable dollar menu, while the grocery stores provide overpriced fresh fruits and vegetables that are out of many families’ budgets. Families are increasingly becoming overweight...
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...during the Civil War for dividing the Union and Confederate Armies. (York County Historic Timeline, 2012). Population/Economic Assessment The total population of York County is 434,972 as of the 2010 Census, with York being the largest city with 43,550 people. The median age is 40.1 years, with 24.1% of the population being age 65 and older. This is an increase of 6% since the year 2000. The average household income for York County is $57,027, while the average household income for all of Pennsylvania is $49,520. The total percentage of households in York County living in poverty is 9.0%, with 7.1% for White Non-Hispanic residents and 24.5% for Hispanic or Latino residents. Females with families with no husband present is the most populous category of people living in poverty, with 24% of them living below the poverty line. Furthermore, 11% of children under the age of 18 live in poverty (US Census Bureau, 2010). The unemployment rate for York County is 7.7%, which is slightly lower than Pennsylvania’s unemployment rate of 7.9%. 12% of York...
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...Poverty and Childhood Obesity Linda Weems English 122 Instructor: Craig Smith October 5, 2012 Poverty and Childhood Obesity Over the past years, more people have become underprivileged. America used to have a strong middle class, but now the middle class is gradually retreating due to many jobs going overseas and local companies closing due to the 2007 economic crash. Because of the state of the economy, people will have to make tough decisions about what to spend their money on. Childhood obesity in America is an increasing ailment that has become an epidemic that has lasting emotional effects, because of the limited access to healthy foods. In more recent months, middle class families have been finding it hard to keep up with the rising cost of food and many of them have turned to the State for public assistance. In Nevada, “The picture of the food stamp spike is framed by the recession: About 145,000 Nevadans were collecting food stamps in fiscal 2007; in March of this year, the government counted almost 354,000 recipients statewide”. (Demirjian, 2012) In my neighborhood, I look around at the kids surrounding me. More than half of these kids are what one would consider “obese”. Childhood obesity is increasing in the United States – and the kids that I see today are a direct result of America’s unawareness to this crisis. The key causes of childhood obesity are a deficiency of exercise and deprived nutrition; these contributors must be conquered...
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...Weight in Society Denise Rider ENG 122: English Composition II Instructor: Carolyn Karas July 3, 2015 Weight in Society Even though being obese can create several medical problems, people should be allowed to look and weigh what they do without society creating issues for them. There are also those who do not necessarily want to be obese, but because of the unkind things that people say to them, they end up gaining more weight. There are also those who are overweight and are just happy as can be in their own skin and they have the lowest mortality rate. There are also those that are not hired or passed up for promotions because of their weight. Also, there are those who live at poverty level or below that live out of necessity and end up being overweight or obese. Society should be more aware of the status of an individual instead of trying to put everyone into one cookie cutter mold. There are those in society that can be cruel because of the things that they say and do to those who are overweight and obese. Hurtful things are said and done to those persons who are overweight and obese. In researching this topic, Sutin & Terracciano stated, “People who are obese are often perceived as lazy, unsuccessful, and weak-willed. These beliefs about individuals with obesity are often translated into negative attitudes, discrimination, and verbal and physical assaults. Such bias can have severe psychological consequences, including increased vulnerability to depression and...
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...The leading causes of death for the county are heart disease, cancer, motor vehicle accidents, diabetes, and suicide (Texas Department of State Health Services, 2013). According to the 2014 health rankings for the county, Brazoria was above the national benchmark in smoking, obesity, physical inactivity, excessive drinking, alcohol-impaired driving deaths, sexually transmitted diseaseas, and teen births (County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, 2015). The industry overview consists of health care and social assistance, educational services, retail trade, accommodation and food services, manufacturing, professional, scientific, and technical services, and public administration with health care and social assistance being the primary industry (City-data.com, 2015). Adult obesity grew in the county from 27% in 2013 to 29% in 2014 (County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, 2015). Also motor vehicle crash deaths in 2013 were 18 which is well above the national benchmark (County Health Rankings & Roadmaps, 2015). Assessment of Needs and Risks (6 Tools) Population Economic Status Assessment The Population Economic Status Assessment was used to gather information on the population, culture, income levels, poverty among children, and unemployment...
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...The Public Needs to Know – Draft Version Harikrishna osuru Strayer university Prof. Dennis Millan English 115 08-04-2014 In many states, the nutrition of our children has come under review. Our children are getting fatter, and the school lunches have become less healthy. Something needs to be done to correct this tragedy. Due to the heightening number of obese children, the school board has decided to change the breakfast and lunch menus to include healthier choices and exclude the options very high in sugar and fat. The main economic issue is that the high sugar and high fat items in the grocery store are being marketed toward children. Candy often has very colorful packages and pictures of popular cartoon characters to catch the attention of the children that see it. A contributing main issue is the fact that the parents either do not have time or just do not want to cook for their family. The result of this is a family that will always dine out and spend money eating unhealthy food. Fig.1 The cost of healthy meals will be more expensive than the normal meals would be. The school and the parents would have to meet in the middle with the cost. The cost would be split in the middle with the parents paying half the extra cost and the school paying the other half. When the children aren’t eating unhealthily, they are not exercising. Video games and television have replaced outdoor activities that require running and sweating. Water had been...
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...among many of the major diseases and they also have a high percentage of people that are below the poverty line as well as those that are not college graduates. (CDC, 2013) When it comes to promoting health in this group there are different ways to approach it when dealing with this minority group. One of the things that we need to do is make sure that they can have access to quality and that we use the health promotion model to provide primary, secondary, and tertiary care when it comes to making sure that this minority group gets to be at their optimal health. When it comes to the current health status of this group it is not the best. When looking at the statistics of this group they have a higher mortality rate in many of the major diseases. They also have a higher percentage of people who live below the poverty line and are not college educated. Also they are one of least likely to be employed at the management level position. When I was looking at the center for disease controls website a few of the biggest killers for people of this minority group were cancer, heart disease, stroke, and obesity. (CDC, 2013) I know these are major issues for a fact in this minority group. Many of my friends during high school were native Hawaiians and pacific islanders. When you think of this minority group you don’t think of small people. Most of them are built larger and this means that obesity is one of the big issues. This in turn leads to their heart disease and stroke. Also when you...
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...Food for Thought: Improving School Lunch Programs Clorissa Torres Lindsay Ludvigsen English 115 February 20, 2013 Schools across the nation have implemented a new breakfast & lunch program, to include healthier choices amongst children, adolescents and teens eating in their school cafeterias every day. The program was designed to allow the children attending school to receive healthy, low cost or free meals while fighting childhood obesity and hunger. The National School Lunch Program is a federally-assisted program implemented across the nation within public or non-profit private schools and day cares with children high school age & under. The program itself is costing 11.1 billion dollars to run in 2012-13 which is only 5.73 percent of the US budget. The money it is costing the US to run the program is allowing 32 million children a chance to have at least two whole meals a day, with a possible snack if they participate in a school-based after school programs. The USDA also provides the schools participating with federal cash and commodity support. The program entails that for each child who receives free lunch, the school will get $2.86 cents back, for each child who receives reduced lunch the school will get $2.46 cents back & for each child who pays for lunch the school will get $.70 cents back ; this also entails that for every snack a child receives free the school will receive $.78 cents, for every snack a child receives reduced the school...
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...King County’s Community and Culture The Effects on Obesity King County The Oregon Territorial Legislature established King County of Washington State from a portion of Thurston County on December 22, 1852 after the Oregon Territorial Assembly (King County history quick facts, 2016). King County was first named after William Rufus King of Alabama, the vice president of Franklin Pierce; but in 2005, it was later renamed after Martin Luther King Jr. To the west of King County is Puget Sound, Cascade Mountains to the east, the Canadian border to the north and the Oregon border to the south. A magnificent 2126 square miles of land and 180.5 square miles of water surround it with natural beauty (King County, Washington, 2016). It consists of 20 school districts and 19 cities, including the largest city in Washington, Seattle. Community Assessment In 1860, King County’s population originated as 305 residents; its current population census is a remarkable 2 million, ranked the 14th most populated county in the United States (King County history quick facts, 2016). The number of households in the year 2015 was 850,932 and is estimated to increase to 906,000 in 2020. The diversified industries and populations consists of 64.8% Caucasian, 15.5% Asian, 8.9% Hispanic or Latino, 6.0% African American, and 0.7% American Indian or Alaskan Native (American FactFinder - Community Facts, 2016). In the 20th century, King County’s population growth was an industrial divergence contributed...
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...and vibrant cities. The capital city—Santiago—is the biggest. Other major cities are Valparaiso, Arica, Concepción, Talca, and La Serena. This combination of nature and urban attractions draws visitors from all over the world to Chile. Obesity Problems in Chile Despite such access to nature activities, the majority of Chile’s people live in urban centers and live predominantly sedentary lifestyles. As a result of this trend toward urban sedentary living, obesity has become a growing problem in Chile. According to the World Health Organization, the rates of obesity in Chile have skyrocketed in the past 50 years alone. In fact, as of 2007, 65.3% of the Chilean population is overweight or obese, prompting Forbes to list the country as number 23 in its list of the fattest countries in the world. These trends are disturbing because obesity is one of the primary causes of preventable illnesses and deaths in the developed world....
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...1 Community Health (C228) Task 1 Megan Smith Student # 000473853 October 10, 2015 Community Health Task 1 2 Communities are often what shape and instill a sense of belonging for people. One such community is Northridge, which is a neighborhood located in the San Fernando Valley and is part of Los Angeles County. According to available data, there are 52,776 residents in Northridge, and diversity is a key element. A snapshot of Northridge can be seen as 49.5% whites, hispanics/latinos 50.8%, Asians 14.5%, African Americans 5.4% and others 4.6%. Along those lines, 7.6% are nonEnglish speaking and a large percentage of these residents speak languages other than English in the home. Families (married with children) make up 24.1% of households with single parents accounting for 11.8% of the residents (Lacounty.gov). Summary of Tools Population Economic Status Assessment. The median household income for Northridge in 2013 was $81,511, which is relatively high compared to the median income for California which is $61,632 (Northridge Neighborhood). While the median income is high, one source of data states 20% one in five residents of Los Angeles County receive public assistance (L.A. Times. 20% in Los Angeles County Receive Public Aid). While specific data could not be obtained for Northridge, in Los Angeles County (2011 Census) the birthrate was 130,312 and the death rate came in at 57,988, which means Los Angeles County as whole and its ...
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...Pierce County, WA Community Assessment Western Governors University Pierce County, WA Community Assessment Community Description and Data Interpretation Pierce County is situated in the central west of Washington State. The county is divided by Puget Sound, with the majority of the land to the east of the major waterway. There are several small islands included in the county that are located near the southern edge of the Sound. At the county’s eastern border, the beginnings of foothills lead to the actively volcanic Mount Rainier’s summit. Many parts of the county today are built upon the deposits of lahar from past eruptions. The geography of Pierce county ranges from a rocky shore to a lush, national forest with many lakes, rivers, and creeks in between. Overall, the county has 1794 square miles of land and 118 square miles of water, not including Puget Sound (Pierce County Department Of Emergency Management, 2010). Pierce County became well known in the late nineteen hundreds when the city of Tacoma became the western terminus of the Northern Pacific Railroad – the first transcontinental railroad in the north. The introduction of this railroad led to an increase in shipping and manufacturing in the area. At the time, lumber, shipping, farming, and coal mining powered Pierce’s economy. With the exception of mining, all these industries are still present today, though industrialization has made them less prominent than in the past (Pierce County Department...
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...The Public Needs To Know: School Meal Programs English 115 Prof. David Makhanlall August 10, 2014 We know that food is fuel. In order for children to be successful in the classroom, they must be well nourished. For millions of American children, a school meal is the best meal they are going to eat each day. Currently 39.7% of youth in Mississippi are overweight or obese, for these students school lunches provide valuable nutrition that they may not get at home. The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) and the School Breakfast Program (SBP) are federally funded programs that provide meals to over one hundred thousand schools across America. The recent changes to the school meal programs intend to combat the growing trend of child hood obesity with the ultimate goal of providing healthy, well-balanced and nutritious school breakfast and lunches. The majority of people understand that nutrition and health directly relates to physical and mental development. In children, nutrition affects their physical health and cognitive development. The revised school lunch and breakfast program provides more nutritional options, such as whole grain instead of refined white breads, for school age children. Prior to the revision, school food programs were under a lot of scrutiny and criticism. Fewer than 30% of schools followed the nutrition guidelines, the USDA was doing a poor job at enforcing the regulations. On top of the second-rate lunches schools served, they were also allowing...
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...of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity’. (WHO, 1948) This conveys that although the function of the body is important, there are other contributing factors such as a healthy mind and meaningful relationships which also pertain to an individual being of good health and well-being. In the first instance, this essay will shed light on the diet, why it is important and the damaging effects it can have on the body. As an individual who has been labelled as clinically obese, I am interested in the nutrition that the body requires, the quality of the food being consumed and whether certain dietary elements have addictive traits. I will then go on discuss how the social factors, poverty and housing influence health before exploring how the psychological factors, stress and behaviour also impact on health. Diet Diet refers to a balanced selection of foods that we regularly consume for nutritional purposes, however the term has become associated to a restrictive dietary regime that an individual has adopted to lose weight, usually for health or aesthetic reasons. From a sociological perspective, diet may be the consumption of food for nutritional purposes, but it is also closely related to class, upbringing, identity and culture. Some sociologists have associated high energy and nutritionally poor diets to those with a lower social status. They believe that the quality of diet reflects the socioeconomic standing and...
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...Community Analysis Purple Group January 21, 2013 Community Analysis: COMMUNITY ASSESSMENT AND ANALYSIS New Hyde Park Community. New Hyde Park is a merged region of North Hempstead, situated in Nassau County, Long Island, New York. It has a land area of eighty-six square miles and zero square miles of water. It was a unique and historic settlement, of the ancient times. The first settlers were Dutch and English, followed by Irish polish and Germans. In 1990, Jewish families began settling in. Although the settlement began in 1624, George Clark a former Secretory of the Province gave the name Hyde Park after his wife, Ann Hyde. (New Hyde Park, New York, 2012).The village formerly a farmland experienced rapid growth and development in 1930and was turned into and a village with several home. The Geopolitical communities are designed by natural or human made boundaries (Maurer and Smith, 2009). It holds community safer for the residents and the governing body. The New Hyde Park community is bordered by human made boundaries. The eastern and western borders are Herrick’s Road and the Eleventh Avenue respectively. Stewart Manor Road in Garden City borders the south. Northern Boulevard in Manhasset Hills borders the north. Presently Jericho Turnpike divides it into two sections north and south with 86 square miles of land and zero squares of water. Geopolitical communities within this a few luxury gated communities. Political communities and low enforcement jurisdictions...
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