Poverty Linked to Obesity, Says New Research
SALEM, Ore.
Poverty and obesity are strongly linked because the poor cannot afford to eat a healthier diet, according to new research.
“It’s a question of money,” says Dr. Adam Drewnowski, the director of the Center for Public Health Nutrition at the University of Washington in Seattle. “The reason healthier diets are beyond the reach of many people is that such diets cost more.”
Whole grains, fish and fresh vegetables and fruits are far more expensive than foods with refined grains, added sugars and added fat, Drewnowski wrote in a study for Washington’s School of Public Health and Community Medicine.
“It’s not a question of being sensible or silly when it comes to food choices,” Drewnowski says. “It is the opposite of choice. People are not poor by choice, and they become obese primarily because they are poor.”
Feeding a family of five on a limited income usually means that the cook will rely on “filler foods.”
“Families stretch food by adding low-cost starches such as rice and noodles,” says Anne Hoisington, a family- and community-development instructor with the Oregon State University Extension Service. “They’re going for quantity versus quality.”
