Brett Taylor, an associate professor of paediatrics, points out that low-income neighbourhoods are not only affected by the cost of sports, but the availability of sports as well; in low-income neighbourhoods, tend to not have as many recreation facilities and when they do, the costs to be considered is both that of joining a recreation facility and transportation which places another barrier on lower-income families which can lead to obesity among poorer families (p.1). In Taylor’s article, however, I argue that he often generalizes; for example, he argues that poverty is strongly related to obesity and consequently, low-income families cannot afford to enrol their children in sports programs which plays a role in contributing to obesity. I argue that
although not all low-income families are able to afford to enrol their children in sports programs, it does not necessarily mean it is a factor that contributes to obesity. Low-income families have the option to go out for a jog, or do sit-ups at home in replacement of joining sports programs – there are alternatives. In addition, Taylor seemed to be comparing only how poverty is linked to obesity. In my opinion, he should have also addressed possible ways that a wealthier lifestyle leads to obesity (for example: being able to afford more game systems which would typically result in a sedentary lifestyle). By Taylor only discussing how poverty is linked to obesity (as opposed to addressing how being wealthy leads to obesity as well) made the article appear more biased to me.
Dr. Cate Burns provides evidence in which studies show that higher consumption of fruits and vegetables are associated with higher education and higher income levels, while also pointing out that vegetables/fruits and quality food tend to be more expensive than food with lower nutritional value (p. 15). Similar to that of Taylor’s stand point, Dr. Burns also believes that low-income families tend are limited in their purchases; they are restricted by a price range which consequently affects their health.
Another example of how socio-economic factors – in this case, income – are linked to obesity in children that Dr. Burns points out is level of education; “both neighbourhood socio-
economic environment and individual educational status may be associated with poor health” (p. 17). What I interpret from this is that children with a lower level of education (ex: high school diploma) are not as likely to be well-educated on health as a more educated student (ex: university degree). The child with the lower education may not be able to attend a post-secondary institution as a consequence of their parents’ low income. Because of the lower level of education the poorer child receives, the more likely they are to eat non-healthy foods as they are not aware of the dangers.
However, this is not the only way in which socio-economic correlates with obesity; “there is some evidence that low socioeconomic status leads to a psychosocial stress promoting abdominal obesity through psychoneuroendocrinological pathways” (Burns, 18). Burns also points out that higher obesity rates are associated with low incomes and low educational levels (p. 9). On the other hand, links between obesity among children and socioeconomic status is likely to vary from country to country. My only criticism of Burns’s article would be that it focuses on data collected in the US and Australia – not Canada.
According to the news journal Science Daily (2008), neighbourhoods with low economic and social resources have higher rates of obesity. Similarly, in Jay Zagorsky’s article (2005), he states that obesity is related to economic conditions and increased while the economic upturned
as well. Several articles – such as Zagorsky’s and the aforementioned – seem to provide a direct link between income and levels of obesity. However, I found it to be difficult to encounter an article that discusses the link between being wealthy and obesity rates among children. Most, if not all articles I found seemed to concentrate on relations among low-income people/poverty and levels of obesity. This may be because there is a stronger relationship between low-income people with obesity than there is with the wealthy.
For further research, more articles that pertain to obesity levels and socioeconomic factors in Canada should be addressed (although it is much more common to find American journals pertaining to US data). The conclusion of these studies surprised me in the sense that most only seem to think that having lower income leads to obesity in children. Even though that is a sensible thing to say, I would have liked to see how having a higher income contributes to obesity. Nevertheless, it is evident that money (being a socioeconomic factor) is strongly linked with obesity levels in children.
Literature Cited
-
Burns, Cate. April 2004. “Describing the Link Between Poverty, Food Insecurity and Obesity”. VicHealth. Retrieved from: <>.
-
Caprio, Sonia. November 2008. “Influence of Race, Ethnicity, and Culture on Childhood Obesity: Implications for Prevention and Treatment”. Diabetes Care. 31, 2211-2221. Retrieved from: <>.
-
Janssen, Ian. January 2006. “Influence of Individual Measures of Socioeconomic Status on Obesity, Unhealthy Eating, and Physical Inactivity in Canadian Adolescents”. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 83, 139-145. Retrieved from: <>.
-
ScienceDaily. Feb 10, 2008. “Lower Income Associated with Higher Obesity rates”. ScienceNews. Retrieved from: <>.
-
Zagorsky, Jay. May 2005. “Health and Wealth: The Late 20th Century Obesity Pandemic in the U.S”. Economic and Human Biology. Retrieved from: <>.
PEER REVIEW AND REFLECTION
List of other group members: Mike Pahor, Danica Potvin, Bushra Noureen, Mohammed Khalil.
In our group, there were no specific tasks assigned to each person; whoever could take responsibility was depended on. For example, when it was time to record out videos, we agreed that whoever could provide props are welcome to bring them. However, in the making of the story board in the beginning process, there were only three people involved, Mike, myself, and Bushra. We did not hear from one of our group members and the other said they had homework to do. After the first few days, Mohammed and Danica began showing commitment to the group. For example, as a group, we all set up one of many meetings outside of school hours to film and for almost all the meetings all our group members were there. At some point, everyone contributed (ex: Danica offered her residence for filming).
Mike I would say is one of the group’s most contributing members and is always respectful of new ideas. He also seemed passionate about this project and had many wonderful ideas. Perhaps I have no worked with him long enough, but I cannot think of something Mike has to work on – he was a great group member. Bushra is a very dedicated member of our group and is always willing to meet outside of school hours when she can. She also brings ideas to the table and like mike, is very committed. However, at times I feel like Bushra is in such a hurry to
give her ideas that she often disregards other’s ideas. For better or for worse, Danica was a ‘neutral’ member of our group – she accepted most ideas the group gave without question. She was also willing to meet up outside of class to film our video and attended all meetings. If she had to work on one thing, I would suggest she propose more ideas and incorporate her creativity into the project. Mohammed did not have a very good first impression to me in terms of committing to the film; I do not recall many ideas at all ever coming from him. I do not hold this against him because I assume he is just like me and is shy. However, he is a good member in that he is always ready to film and towards the end of the project, he put in a lot of time (hours) to showing up when I was editing the video.
I enjoyed this type of project although it was time-consuming. It is a personal thing because I enjoy theatre and acting. But it is also because there were lots of laughs inbetween and it created bonding time for group members to get to know one another better and work with what they have. However, it would have been better if it were spread out throughout the year as opposed to getting a film done in two-three weeks. It was challenging to get the film done on time not long before the essay was due. If spread over a period of time, I would recommend this to your future classes.
