Our Malnourished World

Malnutrition plays a major impact in low-income neighborhoods.  In the United States, many people living on substantially limited budgets are severely overweight (Daniels, Queen, & Schumacher, 2007).   Obesity is a major concern facing the underserved community where I work.  I often feel that part of the reason many of my students struggle academically can be linked to nutrition, or lack thereof. There are, in fact, two times as many poor and obese children living in poverty compared with their more affluent counterparts (Daniels et al, 2007).

Obesity affects the body and the brain. Malnourishment makes it difficult to stay alert.  A malnourished brain struggles to be "inquisitive" (Daniels et al, 2007). Obesity causes a person to be "lethargic", and make the retention of knowledge difficult (Daniels et al, 2007). Obesity has been linked to a reduction in job opportunities, and a reduction in education (Daniels et al, 2007). 

With limitless access to fast food and other junk food, finding a healthy meal can prove difficult living in low-income areas.

• There are 2.4 fast food restaurants in low-income predominately African-American communities compared to 1.5 in predominately white neighborhoods (Daniels et al, 2007).
• Fast food companies spend $3 Billion a year on advertising to children, compared with only $3.6 million spent to promote eating healthy foods like fruits and vegetables (Daniels et al, 2007).
• Local convenience stores (prevalent in low-income areas) rarely carry fresh produce. When they do, they charge 30% to 100% more than the supermarket (not prevalent in low-income areas) cost (Daniels et al, 2007).

Where is the incentive to eat healthy? Fast food is often deep fried, greasy, and salty. Many people enjoy the taste. It's cheap.  It's convenient. If someone doesn't have a car and no money for bus fare, how would they go to the supermarket? Perhaps most importantly, many people don't know the links it has to obesity, nor the impact obesity has on the mind. 

With all the money we spend on standardized testing here in the United States, it seems that we could benefit from teaching to the "whole" child. Health is important! We must treat it that way. 

Conversely, many children in parts of the world fail to grow to a normal height and weight because of malnutrition (Berger, 2012). In developing nations around the world, one third of the children suffer from not eating enough food to grow normally (Berger, 2012). In some horrible cases, some children may suffer from marasmus, a disease that stops the growth of the body, and as body tissue "wastes away," the infant eventually dies (Berger, 2012).  For some, living to be a year old seems like a longshot.  Suffering after one year of age, however, may lead to a damaged liver and weakening of the immune system.  Children then become more susceptible to serious diseases such as influenza and measles (Berger, 2012).

While the differences are substantial between the United States and developing nations, healthy biological growth needs more support.  I'm saddened thinking about both cases.  It is not simply a matter of genetics, but also the social environment that is responsible for the health of little ones.  

I know I must work to educate my students and their families about healthy eating.  I want to find ways to make healthy eating a more viable option in the community where I work.

References

Berger, K. S. (2012). The developing person through childhood (6^th ed.). New York, NY: Worth Publishers.

Daniels, D., Queen, J., & Schumacher, D. (2007). Obesity and poverty: A growing challenge. Principal, 86(3), 42-47.               Retrieved from https://my.campuscruiser.com