Obesity and hunger-2 sides of the same coin
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How is it that 17 million children in the U.S. live on the brink of hunger while, at the same time, 9 million American children are obese?
It’s certainly a troubling paradox. And it’s one of several reasons why many Americans don’t quite believe or understand the urgency and extent of hunger in the United States.
Misconceptions about hunger fall into two broad categories: Hunger is overwhelming, unsolvable, and “here to stay.” Alternatively, a prevailing view is that hunger can’t possibly exist in the U.S. — it’s a developing-world problem. (With one “small” caveat: It occurs among the homeless.) After all, just look at the obesity problem we have.
Let’s first address the paradox. Yes, hunger and obesity co-exist. Not surprisingly, however, most of this correlation is linked to poverty. As the Food Research and Action Center explains, low-income families face the same hurdles as anyone else — they’re not eating right and they’re too sedentary.
But they also live in neighborhoods — called “food deserts” — that lack full-service grocery stores, where healthy food like fresh produce is often more expensive and of poorer quality. And they creatively stretch their food budget by purchasing cheap, calorie-dense foods that will keep their children’s stomachs filled longer. There’s also a “feast or famine” situation at play — if you have to eat less or skip a meal, you may overeat when food does become available. And that can contribute to weight gain.
Yes, we have an obesity problem. But we also have a very worrying, largely hidden, and under-discussed hunger problem on our hands.
And it’s getting worse. Four years ago, 1 in 10 Americans struggled with hunger. A year later, it rose to 1 in 8. Today, it’s 1 in 6. That’s 50 million Americans, including 17 million children — and contrary to popular opinion, only 10 percent of these people are homeless.
We need to re-connect people to the problem and show them that hunger doesn’t conform to their stereotypes. But how to do that without shaming, numbing with statistics, and making hunger sound unsolvable?
We need to communicate beyond the statistics and drive home the point that hunger is closer than you think. It’s happening to people whose lives are more similar to yours than you think. It’s parents who are working and are trying to make ends meet. These are people like you who may have never imagined visiting a food bank or asking for help.
By humanizing hunger and clearing up some misperceptions, we can spur people to action. Thankfully, groups like Feeding America are doing just that. Feeding America’s “Real Stories campaign” profiles actual, hardworking people who are struggling with hunger. And in doing so, they’re engaging the public to help by donating, volunteering at their local food bank or raising awareness amongst others.
It’s difficult to acknowledge that hunger is a problem in the United States. Just as it’s difficult for those actually facing hunger to acknowledge it. But that’s why we need to break down these barriers, roll up our sleeves and do something
Thanks to Peggy Conlon via Huffington Post.
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The commonly quoted statistics about one in six Americans going hungry are based off a survey that asks whether at any point in the last year you worried whether you would be able to afford to buy enough food for your household. It is a ridiculous overstatement when activists say these households are going hungry.
The reason people disregard these activists and their statistics is because they know when they are being lied to. Just because your are trying to address a problem in society doesn’t give you the right to make up your own facts, and it ends up doing more harm than good to your cause. If you’re going to say people are going hungry, use statistics for people that are actually skipping meals because they can’t afford them (closer to 5%.) Otherwise say what the statistic truly is about: food insecurity.
I thought I had a clue until I read this. I am shocked and find myself agreeing with the comments here, in particular with that of BigHarryH…there is no reason why anyone should starve in the United States of America.
There is no need for anyone in this country to go hungry, ever. But, sadly they do. What sort of future are we building?
There’s a difference between having access to food, and having access to healthy food, which is often more expensive. (Don’t even get me started on the price of “organic”–I’m just talkin’ regular produce prices here, people!)
Fruit, vegetables, healthy cuts of meat…all come at a premium, and in some cases may be hard to find (at least in good condition) in those “food deserts”–thanks for posting on this important issue.
The United States is a country of extremes in many ways, climate, geography, attitude. Hunger and obesity among children is a classic example of these extremes.