Poverty is defined as the state of being extremely poor. In the US about every one in seven persons are poor. Rachel Sheffield and Robert Rector1 say Nearly 47 million persons are considered poor. There definition of poverty is “The word “poverty” suggests near destitution: an inability to provide nutritious food, clothing, and reasonable shelter for one’s family”. 1 Though many Americans aren’t this bad off poverty is still a major issue in the US.

Poverty affects essentially everyone but in particular it affects children, African-Americans, Hispanics, and uneducated women. As Houghton and colleagues2 state children who grow up in poverty are at greater risk to suffer from severe health problems. Infants in absolute poverty are likely to die before there first birthday. Blacks trapped in ghettos suffer because many industries in inner-cities have shut down or relocated2. Now many African-Americans rely on welfare to survive in the US. Hispanics also suffer from poverty similar to blacks but many Hispanic speaking communities have stayed in tact by keeping wage-based low-skill jobs available. Women in poverty struggle due to the fact that most are uneducated. Some women also become poor after a divorce and forced to live on welfare.3

When it comes to poverty there are many risk factors involved. The list is virtually endless but key risks that go along with poverty are hunger, crime, housing, substance abuse, education, and bad environment.4 Not being able to afford proper nutrition is a huge risk with poor people without food and clean water illness and death will accrue. Crime is also a big deal in poor areas people don’t have what they need to survive and when they become desperate they will steal to get the resources they need.4 Some poor people live without shelter and are susceptible to harsh climate conditions. Poverty stricken people use drugs and alcohol to cope with the stress, pain, and suffering they go