Childhood Obesity and Family Income: Is it the $$$ or the lifestyle?

[EL PRESIDENTE]

I think its the state of mind.

http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-obesity-gap-20111228,0,6940998.story

Is it really the state of mind of the residents or is it because healthy food is "more expensive"?

Interesting look at the highest and lowest child obesity rates in LA County.

Doris Chang limits her three sons' intake of sweets and doesn't feed them any processed or frozen food. At their Manhattan Beach home, she monitors the boys' time in front of the television and keeps them busy with baseball, basketball and karate.

About 20 miles to the northeast, Lorena Hernandez takes her 6-year-old daughter to McDonald's at least twice a week and frequently gives her Kool-Aid and soda. They go to the park often, but when they are in their Bell Gardens home, the television is usually on.

The families' divergent attitudes toward food and exercise reflect just part of the challenge facing officials as they try to close a vast and costly gap in obesity rates across the region.

Just 4% of children in affluent, mostly white Manhattan Beach are considered obese, the lowest rate countywide, according to public health officials. In poor, predominantly Latino Bell Gardens, the rate is 36% — higher than in any other city.

 

[The Sebastian Express]

I think it is a combination of both family genetic traits, traits you learn growing up due to financial and family situations, as well as just your current money.

Especially in single parent homes or homes where both parents have to work at least one job there is a time limit for how much you can monitor what your kids put in their bodies or what they do with their time. A matter of time on what can be prepared for all three meals a day, etc. What can be afforded, what activities can be arranged, etc.

 

[BrianFromWA]

In my experience, there's a lot to do with education, but also a lot of personal responsibilty.

There's no reason that a child in America shouldn't have clean, almost-free, water. But there are a lot of kids who are drinking tons of sugary drinks (whether soda or kool-aid types, or whatever) that can be stopped by just not buying that other stuff for them. I've shown in other posts how there's no reason that a child in a family making less than 30k (and sometimes up to 50k) should ever have to eat junk food, with all of the options available for things like Child Food Credit, WIC, food stamps, free lunch, etc.
I'm not saying it doesn't take discipline, but the epidemic isn't (imho) part of genetics and therefore uncontrollable. It's about raising a child with discipline, and having the education to know what's right. Making a few sandwiches in the morning doesn't take a lot of time. Putting apples instead of potato chips in the lunchbag isn't cost-prohibitive. Buying some vitamins can help cover some of the deficiencies if you have an off day or a week where you can't buy produce.
The socio-economic side is a tough one also, just because for every family you see that is buying McD's dollar menu instead of frozen chicken breasts there someone who's spending $7 a pack on cigarettes or $6 a 6-pack for beer. I don't know how you get around that without infringing on people's rights.

 

[MARIS61]

The article compares rich, white people with poor, hispanic people, making it worthless.

But regular exercise trumps most dietary overindulgences. Kids today not only "get" maybe 1/5th the exercise I did when I was their age, but also get less than I do today.

Primarily, big business is to blame.

For bringing junkfood into our schools, for underpaying their workers (parents) causing them to work more jobs, for pushing electronic toys and gizmos rather than physical sports and games.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

Those are all choices. The parents feed kids crap. Look at the contrast in attitudes. Has nothing to do with race or money.

X

 

[MARIS61]

Those are all choices. The parents feed kids crap. Look at the contrast in attitudes. Has nothing to do with race or money.

X

Apparently you're immune to mind control techniques. Most people aren't. People buy things because they are programmed to. All day, every day, for their entire life. Kids can't even escape the ads and commercials when they go to school.

As for working 2 jobs for shit wages, that's not a choice unless you consider your families starvation a viable option.

 

[EL PRESIDENTE]

they are exposed to the same commercials.

X

 

[BoBoBREWSKI]

Lazy ass worthless parents who dont cook their kids a healthy meal and encourage them to be active.