Poor Teenagers Are Fatter

In a new study seen by Ukmedix it appears that your financial standing can have a big impact on whether you are overweight or not. The survey recently conducted in America showed that teenagers who are poor have a fifty percent bigger chance of being overweight compared to teenagers from richer families. The phenomenon is a new one to appear and has been growing over the last twenty years.

The study is very important because it shows the actual positioning of the obesity problem in the United States and a greater understanding of it. The United States health authorities have been keeping records on obesity and financial strength since the 1970's and it appears that the poor are getting fatter much faster than the rich. It is common knowledge that American teenagers are getting fatter and fatter but before this study the fact that the low income teenagers were the hardest hit was not apparent.The low income families tend to take less exercise and also tend to eat more cheap junk food and drinks high in calories.

The first time that the connection was made between obesity and income levels was towards the end of the 1990's and the figures are showing that the link between the 2 is gettng greater and greater each year. The difference in obesity levels between rich and poor kids starts to become apparent at the age of about 14 which is significant as this is the age when many children start to make their own decisions about what they want to eat.

In low income neighbourhoods there are more junk food shops and restaurants and there is very little emphasis on exercise and personal fitness. In the high income areas there are more supermarkets with fresh fruit and vegetables and also an abundance of gyms and fitness centres as well as safe parks for kids to get exercise.

Unless the US government addresses the problem it is set to grow and the difference between the low income and high income obesity levels will increase.