...has gradually become a major health issue in America and the statistics, which I am going to talk about later, is frightening. To understand how large the health issue is, we have to understand what obesity is. Obesity is a condition where someone has so much body fat that it might damage their health. We define this amount of body fat by at least 20% or higher according to http://www.medicalnewstoday.com. According to http://www.businessinsider.com USA actually has some of the highest obesity rates in the world, and in this text I am going to look at some of the reasons why. The obesity does not just harm a specific part of the people, it harms everyone. Over a third of the American adults and almost 20% of the teenagers is obese. (http://edition.cnn.com) All this obesity has to come at a cost, not only personally but also economically. In this text I am going to look at some reasons to obesity, look at statistics and also talk about the future of obesity. For major parts of the American people, obesity is not a choice. Many are raised up in a poor family who do not have the resources to buy their kids or themselves healthy meals. 14,8 % of the American population live in poverty, that equals to around 47 million people. (http://talkpoverty.org/basics/) This is one of the biggest causes to obesity. Poor people have a lot less access to healthy and nutritious food. (http://frac.org/) Therefor I would say that obesity and poverty is strongly connected. According to USDA, a...
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...The Real Issue with Poverty Kris Offerman, a 38 year old mother of two, starts to break into tears. Unable to cling to any strand of hope, she lies there helplessly as she repeats to herself, “It’s like there is no way out.” Once earning wages of $100,000 a year with her husband, Kris now relies on Willow Creek Care Center, waiting for the shipments of food to help feed her family. After losing her job, house, car, and money, Kris Offerman was once a strong member of the middle class of America that got deprived of her once fantastic life. She now lives in an apartment, stuck in the endless cycle of poverty, unable to jump out of the hole she was thrown in. Everyday, millions of people have to struggle through these hardships, yet many are...
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...The Federal Government of Untied States of America, My Name is Betty Johnson and I am 30 years old. I am writing to you because I am very concerned with the future of the citizens in this country. Throughout my life poverty has been Americas "Darkest Secret". I never Really hear news Reports on the growing percentage of Americans living in poverty, or the ways the government is trying to fix this issue. I grew up in Detroit, Michigan where more than a third of residents live below the poverty line (Sasha Abramsky, "America's Shameful Poverty Stats"). Throughout my childhood I have watched many friends' families struggle financially. Sometimes my friends would go without eating for a couple of days simply because they could not afford it. I would offer them food but they would kindly decline because they were so embarrassed because of their situation. They would wear clothes that wouldn't fit them because they couldn't afford to buy new clothes. They would miss school to watch their little siblings because their mom was a single parent and had to work all day everyday just so she could feed them. They didn't even apply to college because they knew they had to immediately pick up a crapy job so they could help their mom pay the bills. The list goes on. All of this is happening under your supervision and it doesn't seem like much is affectively fixing this issue. America's lowest percentage of citizens living below the poverty line was 11.1 percent in 1973. It reached...
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...Running head: POVERTY AND IT’S EVERYDAY LIFE CHANGES 1 Poverty and its Everyday Life Changes Professor Deanna R. Lindsey Sociology 100, Strayer University November 4, 2011 POVERTY AND IT’S EVERYDAY LIFE CHANGES 2 Abstract This report tells of the ratings of poverty in the United States and America. It tells how poverty is constantly changing the lives of men, women, and children on an everyday basis. It speaks of things we can do as a society to help support and change the lives of those living in poverty. Poverty And It’s Everyday Life Changes 3 Poverty is a very emotional and important issue in America. It is a fact that all social inequality creates poverty. There are generally two types of poverty that are discussed, which are relative poverty and absolute poverty .Relative poverty is the lack of resources of some people in relation to those who have more. Absolute poverty is the lack of resources that is life threatening. It has been reported by “Global Stratification “, that about one billion human beings, which is one person in six are at risk of absolute poverty (Sociology, Thirteenth Edition). In this wealthy country of the Unite States families still go hungry, and live in in adequate housing, and suffer poor health because of serious lack of resources. In 2002, it was reported by the Census Bureau that poverty in the United States was had reached a high of 35 million people (Rector and Johnson, 2004). It is fact that we as human...
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...for food (2011 World Hunger, 2011). World hunger is still in an issue in the 21st century, extreme malnutrition largely exists within developing countries (FAO, 2010). FAO, The Food and Agriculture Organization, claims that world hunger has risen to 925 million (13.6% of world population) in 2010, this is caused by factors such as increased food prices and a worldwide economic crisis (FAO, 2010). Poverty is a chronic issue in under developed countries, many people could only afford little food but with the inflation of food prices, the hungry are getting hungrier (Estimating the Short, 2011). Many businesses in Africa are losing profit because the consumers cannot afford the products. The price of goods is rising due to expensive oil, lack of crops and climate change. Due to inflation of food prices, hunger is an increasing issue in under developed countries. “Figure 1.0: Different poverty levels (Global Issues, 2010) “Figure 1.0: Different poverty levels (Global Issues, 2010) Food price inflation has recently been a serious issue around the world. Many are feeling the impact, but those in poorer countries are getting hit the hardest (Estimating the Short, 2011).Within developing countries there is poverty and scarce resources. This is caused by such factors as bad government, low education and lack of health care (Global Issues, 2010).Poverty is a large issue within developing countries; many individuals can barely earn $1.25 a day (The World Bank, 2010) and yet food prices...
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...Poverty is the state of one who lacks a usual or socially acceptable amount of money or material possessions. It is the condition where people’s basic needs for food, clothing, and shelter are not being met. There are generally two types, absolute poverty is synonymous with destitution and occurs when people cannot obtain adequate resources to support a minimum level of physical health. Absolute poverty means about the same everywhere, and can be eradicated as demonstrated by some countries. Relative poverty occurs when people do not enjoy certain minimum level living standards as determined by a government that vary from country to country, sometimes within the same country. Relative poverty occurs everywhere, is said to be increasing and my never be eradicated. There are over 48 million Americans live in poverty, according to a special report by the Census Bureau (money.cnn.com). The government programs such as food stamps, caps (childcare and parent services program) is designed to help low income families afford safe quality child care, and section 8 which is a rental housing assistance program that authorizes payments of rental housing to private landlords on behalf of approximately 4.8 million low-income households do help some of the people in the Unites States but it is not enough. There are still 16% of American children living in poverty according to a supplemental report. According to the census report the official poverty line was $23,283 last year for a family of...
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...rate of America is more than two thirds of the American population. “Statistics say that America’s obesity rate and their poverty rate is almost similar”. Rich Hamburg, the deputy director of Trust for America’s Health comments, “It all comes down to level of physical activity and nutrition- how much are they getting, what kinds of calories are they consuming?” (“Poverty”). To prevent this, America should take action in making their country a healthier place. The country should tax unhealthy foods such as sodas for the people in order to be healthier and prevent obesity. There are many reasons to why America is the first country to have the most obese people in. Obesity rates have increased surprisingly, doubling the rate since the 1970s. This is also a very important case for children. About a quarter of 2 to 5 year olds are obese in America. Obesity is when your weight is 20% more than average weight, compared to your height. This can be called a disease. “Heart stroke, high blood pressure, diabetes and different types of cancer can all be caused by just being obese” (“Obesity”). The Site-wide Navigation states that overweight people spend more on health care than the people with other health problems. Researchers have noticed huge lifestyle changes- Americans exercising less but still maintaining the same calorie intake. All these concerns make obesity a problem in America. Another reason why Americans might be obese is because of their habits and the foods they consume...
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...Hunger in America Why are so many people starving? Why are so many Americans starving? Children Starving on Side of Road 1 Every day people throw perfectly good food away without a second thought. Many people do not realize that many Americans spend most of their days starving or without food. In 2012, 49 million people did not have enough food in their homes; 15.9 million of them were children (“Hunger”). Hunger is not just in the third world countries, it is also here in America and people need to realize this. Can we end hunger in America? Where is there the most hunger? Mississippi 20.9% Arkansas 19.7% Texas 18.4% Alabama 17.9% North Carolina 17.0% Georgia 16.9% Missouri 16.7% Nevada 16.6% Ohio 16.1% California 15.6% (“Hunger”) Americans have all the power to end hunger in America. There are so many things that people and the government can do to help. The 2014 Hunger Report has a plan to end hunger by the year 2030. This plan consists of a jobs agenda, a stronger safety net, human capital development, and public-private partnerships to help innovative community led initiatives against hunger (“Ending”). If people just help out in any way possible hunger could be stopped...
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...be given food for that particular group we were in. I figured we would hear about poverty and how many people go hungry do to this, however, I wasn't sure. As a result of the Hunger Banquet I learned about hunger, poverty, and global awareness all over the world. I got to learn about these issues first hand by taking the place of someone in another country for about an hour. When I first arrived at the Banquet I had to choose from a bowl randomly, what my social standing would be. I ended up in the low income group who all sat on the floor. After talking with people, I learned everyone was from somewhere different in the world. Thus this being about poverty and hunger not just in America, but all over the world. When everyone arrived there were three groups, there was the low, middle, and high income classes. The majority of people were on the floor in the low income group. Seeing this made me truly understand the magnitude of the problem of hunger and poverty across the globe and that these people need our help....
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...Leeker ENG111 2/25/14 Poverty and Homelessness: An Annotated Bibliography. “Black Parents Demand ‘World-Class’ Education, Too.” Washington Informer. 20. Mar 2013. ProQuest. Web. 15 Feb. 2014. In the article ‘World-Class Education’, it said that education need to be affordable for the community of African American. Some African American children are dropout which had damaged the community. Without education, the middle class people would not be able to sustain their family which can lead to society loss. Parents need to back their children education and to avoid them from dropping out of school. The source wants the middle-class to educate themselves so that they could have greater life for themselves and their family. It pressure parents and children to get educated. I would use this article for my research paper because it explain how lack of education lead to poverty and homelessness. It also discussed the importance of education in the African American community and how it can prevent poverty and homelessness. This source is credible because it demanded quality education for the middle class and African American. The author had written many articles about education in the middle-class communities. Many of these articles could be find in the education database at the Nova library. Doak J. Melissa. Ed. “Money, Income, and Poverty Status.’ Minorities: Race and Ethnicity in America. 2012. Detroit: Gale, 2013. Information plus Reference Series...
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...What is poverty? A question most Americans will not have to think twice before answering. Poverty is, of course, simply a lack of money. The views of a specific person will differ when politics or morals are introduced, however, the idea stays the same. Those in poverty are there because they have less money than what has been decided to be livable. Poverty has changed significantly over the last two hundred years in the United States, and yet, the measurement has hardly changed since it was created fifty years ago. As the United States of America has become a better-established country and therefore a more prosperous country, the type of people that are considered poor has changed quite a bit. Before industrialization and immigration became...
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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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...Children & Poverty in the United States Children & Poverty in the United States Kylon D. Shipp SOC120 University of Phoenix In the United States, there are millions of families with children who live at or below the poverty guidelines set by the federal government. The federal poverty income level is around $22,050 a year for a family of four, and it takes about twice that amount to cover the basic needs and expenses of a family of this size (National Center for Children in Poverty, August, 2010). Although most parents are employed, the low pay wages these days tend to leave these families in a constant struggle to provide for their children. Most states have programs that help families that have a lower income take care of their children’s basic needs such as food, shelter, and medical expenses. However, children who grow up in poverty may still be affected by poor health and mental health issues. Poverty has also been known to affect a child’s ability to learn and leaves them at a greater risk for emotional, social, or behavioral problems. Research shows that poverty is the highest threat to a child’s well-being (National Center for Children in Poverty, August, 2010). Since 1964 when the war on domestic poverty was declared, the United States has spent hundreds of billions of dollars helping large and small towns across the country. They have repaired old homes, helped people find jobs, and also provided free food for those who are living in poverty. Despite the...
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...Minimum wage is one of the number one issues in America. There are debates on whether minimum wage needs a raise or stay the same. The current minimum wage in California is $10.50 per hour. Most people that work under minimum wage work more than 60 hours a week. Those people that work under minimum wage are most likely to live in poverty. People can not earn a living on minimum wage. This is why minimum wage needs to be raised. One reason minimum wage needs a raise is because it leads to a healthier population and less premature deaths. Over the past few years, fast food prices drop while the healthier food prices increase. The author states that in “many poverty-dense regions, people are unable to access affordable healthy food, even when...
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...PAD-201: Social Change 24 March 2015 Poverty Introduction In order to define and understand what poverty is, we can consider about conditions of having a little or no money, goods or means of support, state of being poor and lack of vital resources such as education, healthcare, food, clean water and safety. According to Feed America analysis, there were around 14.5% of population (43.5 million) who lived in poverty in 2013 whereas 15.1% lived in poverty in 2010. Thus we can see that poverty rate among United States slightly decreased due to powers applied by different sectors of country, such as government, business and society/non-profit organizations. United Nations organization states that about 21,000 people die every day of hunger or hunger-related causes, it means that there is one person die every four seconds. It is very sad because children die most often. Today, poverty is a huge issue which affects global economy and wealth of the whole population. Moreover, we see high level of inequality, there are people who earn couple dollars a day, whether they live in wealthiest nation in the world or poorest, the difference is real. Many people feel that high level of inequality will affect social cohesion and lead to problems such as increasing crime and violence. Moreover, the poorest part of people always has less access to health, education and other services provided by government and private businesses. Some of these people cannot even afford initials...
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