Ever walk into whole foods and realize that it is so much more expensive getting food there then it would be if you just resorted yourself to some McDonalds. Weight loss is hard enough and the fact that healthy foods are so expensive makes it even harder. Many scientists have done studies in order to see if the correlation between obesity and poverty is true.

One of the most relatable studies was taken around numerous U.S. studies. These studies watched differences in neighborhoods that had better access to supermarkets and limited access to convenience stores had healthier diets.

Families that have low- income struggle a great deal for food. When put in this position, they try to take great advantage of their money. Study by Drewnowski in 2010 proved that refined grains, added sugars and fats are generally inexpensive. Those who have limited resources will buy food to last them long enough where they do not need to go shopping as much. The cheaper the food is, the more they will buy. This is known as a concept of maximizing their calories per dollar in order to spend less over a longer period of time. If fresh produce is available to lower income neighborhoods, it will be cheaper than usual, but not be as appealing.

Besides a healthy diet, being active is the next step to losing weight successfully. It was heartbreaking to see that the crime rates in low-income neighborhoods are very high, which leads to many individuals not wanting to run outside. Gym memberships and workout equipment are very expensive as well.

One major study was taken in 2009, where they found that 70% of the U.S health costs were due to obesity-associated diseases. They found that towns with the lowest incomes were being diagnosed with diabetes. Households that make below $25,000 have no insurance, making individuals pay a total of $9 billion a year.

Americans have seen a huge increase in the amount of individuals who are suffering from obesity. The U.S itself has risen sharply over the past two decades, where 64% of adults are overweight and 30% are obese. Many observers watched residential mobility programs to see if the movement out of low poverty will improve their health. In Boston, they saw that there was better health overall for both adults and children. Also they saw that fewer children had injuries and the employment factors were more beneficial.

It’s hard for many individuals to move out of these low- poverty neighborhoods because some are stuck on the connections that they have or that it is obviously too expensive for them to live anywhere else. Although many see that weight is something that is in your hands and is easy to control, these individuals struggle to have access to the resources that we do to live a healthier life.