Why are poor people more likely to be obese

Introduction Obesity is a health condition that results from accumulation of fat in the body that has adverse effects on health of victims. It is caused by excessive intake of high-energy foods, genetic makeup of individuals, and lack of adequate physical exercise (Wolin 34). It reduces life expectancy and predisposes individuals to other health problems such as type 2 diabetes, osteoarthritis, and certain types of cancer (Wolin 35).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Why are poor people more likely to be obese? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Individuals with obesity are more prone to diseases than individuals without obesity are. In olden days, obesity was associated with wealthy people. However, the situation has changed. Research suggests that poor people are more likely to be obese than rich people. Discussion One of the reasons why poor people are more prone to obesity than rich people is because of poor diet . A major cause of obesity is excess intake of high-energy foods (Smith 44). Many parents from poor households cannot afford healthy meals for their families. For example, they buy processed foods for breakfast and dinner. In contrast, rich people take time to prepare meals that are balanced in nutritive content. Fast foods and processed foods are usually rich in fat that is a predisposing factor to obesity (Pena and Bacalloa 51). Since fast foods are cheap and readymade, parents prefer them without considering their health implications Poor people have little or no access to health facilities such as gyms for workouts (Pena and Bacalloa 53). Rich people can afford to subscribe to health facilities for regular workouts. On the contrary, poor people rely on physical activities such as walking and running for exercise. However, with frequent intake of foods rich in high fat content, ordinary physical activities are not sufficient. On the other hand, parents from poor families do not p lay active roles in the lives of their children (Smith 47). They allow children do things on their own. As such, children eat junk foods because it is sugary and sweet. Many parents from rich families play active roles in the lives of their children. They ensure that their children eat healthy foods, and take them to the doctor for regular medical checkups (Levine 2667). In addition, poor people do not get time for exercise because at the end of the day, they are very tired from working. Many poor people work in manual jobs that are very tiresome and that pay small wages. Their little income denies them access to farmers markets that sell healthy foods (Levine 2667).Advertising Looking for essay on health medicine? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Poor people prefer high-calorie foods because they keep them satisfied for longer. This helps them tackle hard times when they cannot get food readily. A research conducted by the Un iversity of Miami found out that whenever people realize that food was scarce, they turn to high-calorie foods that keep them satisfied for longer compared to healthier low-calorie foods (Drewnowski 8). Foods such as wheat, corn, and potatoes are cheap but unhealthy. It is easier to feed a family with fast food that costs little money than to purchase healthier foods that are more expensive. These high-calorie foods predispose people to obesity. Poor people prefer fast foods because they are cheap and can easily feed their families on small budgets (Drewnowski 10). However, their health implications are adverse and cause serious complications in the long-term. Another reason why poor people are more prone to obesity than rich people is level of education. Many poor people are uneducated and ignorant. Therefore, they possess little knowledge on importance of eating a balanced diet (Borland par2). They consider the cost of food first rather than its nutritive value. Poor people do not know the difference between healthy and unhealthy food. Nutritional knowledge would enable them differentiate between healthy and unhealthy foods. However, they know little about negative effects of various foods on health. Therefore, they consume foods based on how much they cost rather than their nutritive value (Borland par3). They opt for fast foods in order to save money. There is a direct relationship between income and obesity. Poor people prefer cheap food rather than healthy food. In contrast, rich people prefer healthy food even though it is expensive. Poor people buy the cheapest foods that they can get in order to save money (Borland par6). In today’s society, the cheapest foods are junk foods that are rich in high calories. Conclusion Poor people are more likely to be obese because the foods they can afford are unhealthy and cheap. They do not consider the nutritive value of food but its price. Junk food is the cheapest type of food sold today. In order to save money for other uses, poor people opt for junk food that has high calorie content. Other reasons include lack of access to health training facilities, and lack of knowledge on importance of healthy eating because of low levels of education. In addition, parents from poor families do not play active roles in the lives of their children. These factors predispose poor people to obesity more than rich people.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Why are poor people more likely to be obese? specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Works Cited Borland, Sophie. The poor are moirà © likely to be obese, says health minister. 23 Jan. 2013. Web. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2266796/Health-minister-Anna-Soubry-says-obesity-linked-class.html. Drewnowski, Adam. Poverty and Obesity: The Role of Energy Density and Energy Costs. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 79.1 (2002): 6-16. Print. Levine, James. Poverty and Obesity i n the U.S. Diabetes 6.11 (2006): 2667-2668. Print. Pena, Manuel, and Bacalloa Jorge. Obesity and poverty: a new public health challenge. New York: Pan American Health Org, 2000. Print. Smith, Patricia. Obesity among poor Americans: is public assistance the problem? New York: Vanderbilt University Press, 2007. Print. Wolin, Kathleen. Obesity. New York: ABC-CLIO, 2009. Print. This essay on Why are poor people more likely to be obese? was written and submitted by user Alani Shepherd to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Religion and Its Functions in Society

Religion and Its Functions in Society Introduction Religion in some form or the other has been with man for long. It is one of those few characteristics and activities of man which are independent of his animal nature. It has sprouted out of his mind, in response to his felt needs, external and internal. To trace its origin is impossible, and to define it is no less. It is evolutionary in character. Most of the definitions of religion oscillate round the concept of the super human; belief and practice; rituals and rites.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religion and Its Functions in Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Every society possesses some conceptions of a supernatural order of spirits, gods or impersonal forces. These forces are different from and in some sense superior to those forces conceived as covering ordinary â€Å"natural† events and their nature and activities somehow give meaning to the usual, the frustrating and the rational ly impracticable aspects of experience. They are attributed in part at least to its agency, and the men devoted an important part of their time and resources for regulating their relations with this order as they conceive it. Analysis of Religion Religion seeks to interpret and control man’s relations with the forces of his physical and social environment. These forces are thought to be under the control of some supernatural power. The attempt to interpret man’s relations to these forces led to several forms of religions like superstition, animism, totemism, magic, ceremonialism and fetishism. Function of Religion Religion can serve certain functions in society including acting as the social cement that binds society together and suppresses conflict between social groups. It can be used as a form of social control. It is a source of legitimacy for society and its institutions. It is a source of identity. It provides a means for emotional expression and dealing with the difficulties of life. It also provides an explanation for the existence of the physical universe and how it functions. How has religion influenced politics? Religion and politics are dimensions of human experience engaged in a meaningful exercise of power. Both are patterns of power, dynamic processes of action and interaction, and systems of power relations that reinforce the general distribution of power within any society. One of the prominent scholars in the area of religion and politics asserts that, â€Å"Religion is concerned with the systemic ordering of different kinds of power, particularly those seen as significantly beneficial or dangerous.† In other words, religion is the way human being orient themselves to the multitude of powers that impinge upon their lives.Advertising Looking for essay on religion theology? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Another author, Firth Raymond, agrees that, â€Å"R eligions are basically concerned with problems of meaning and power,† (21) furthermore, religion alone is not sufficient as a single variable to explain [political] conflict in any given state. Hence, religion is an element in the conflict between ethnic language groups. Ronald L. Johnstone further explains that ethnicity and ethnically based action are determined by political, economic, and cultural factors, (Ronald 2007) although the factors vary in importance according to specific historical and contextual conditions. The interplay of religion and politics is often described as a volatile mix; and political scientists and politician have long insisted that these two entities should remain separated from each other. Religion has had varied effects on embedded cultural and political assumptions, with regards to policy and political decision-making. Some of these effects have contributed to the emergence of norms and values that assist in the maintenance of peace and order wit hin the West, while others have influenced the emergence of cultural behaviors and assumptions that several social commentators claim have has a destructive influence on the environment and on the health and well-being of communities and individuals. The relationships of religion to politics are complex and paradoxical. Both try to secure power. Yet they are different in the aims and values set on power. The basic power envisaged in religion, whether immanent or transcendental, is of another quality from another world. Both politics and religion imply awareness of social relationship and emphasize integration. Politics is focused on the relationship between men, whereas religion is focused on the relationship of men with gods or spiritual beings. Both use calculation and appeal to emotion, but religion is grounded in revelation whereas politics tries to keep within the bounds of reason. In hierarchy of social activities, religion stands at a peak of evaluation, while politics may ha ve a low rate in the scale of public esteem. What is religious fundamentalism? Fundamentalism occurs in all the world’s major religions, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism and Buddhism. It is a very powerful force in the world affairs today. It occupies a position not dissimilar to that occupied by Marxism in the twentieth century. Like Marxism, it is not only a belief system but also a plan of action to transform humanity (Scott Jones1). In addition, the plan in question sometimes involves the use of extreme violence, exercised not only within but also across state boundaries.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Religion and Its Functions in Society specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Religious fundamentalism has become a subject of teaching and research. In North America, the events of 9/11 have added a sense of urgency to what otherwise would have remained a part of the sober study of comparative re ligion. Whether we like it or not, after 9/11, religious fundamentalism has become an issue of national security as well (Scott Jones 9). Fundamentalism can be defined as the creation, the categorial result, of modern ideological structures that have generated the concept in the process of interpreting and making sense of a much wider realm of social realities (Scott Jones10). From this point, the term â€Å"Religious fundamentalism† refers to extremism and politicization in all varieties of religion. Increasingly, fundamentalism has become a pejorative label, often used synonymously with terrorism (Scott Jones18). Firth, Raymond. Religià ³n: A Humanist Interpretation. New York, NY: Routledge, 1996. Print. Ronald Johnstone L. Religion in Society, A Sociology of Religion, eighth edition. Upper Saddle River, New Jersey, Prentice-Hall, 2007. Print. Scott Jones, Julie. Being the Chosen: Exploring a Christian Fundamentalist Worldview. Surrey, England: Ashgate Publishing, Ltd. 20 10. Print.