The obesity rate in the United States continues to rise year after year. Researchers are working to find the cause and reverse it. The problem is there is more than just one cause; we just have to find the biggest issue and fix it. The cost of healthy foods is not in the price range of many Americans; therefore, they continue to eat cheaper, fattier foods. Obesity rates could be reduced if the prices on healthy foods were reduced and more accessible to the general public. Cost is a major factor when shopping for groceries for many families. If healthy foods were more affordable than unhealthy food and snacks, Americans would choose to buy them more often than not.
The amount of low income families in the United States is continuing to rise. Sullivan says, “Census figures for 2011 show that the official poverty rate will rise from 15.1% in 2010, climbing as high as 15.7%, putting poverty at the highest level since 1965” (“U.S. Poverty Nearing Highest Rate Since 1965”). Therefore, the number of people who will be able to afford healthy foods will continue to decrease. Low income families tend to buy cheaper foods because they have no other option. For example, the McDonalds menu offers a cheap and affordable dollar menu, while the grocery stores provide overpriced fresh fruits and vegetables that are out of many families’ budgets. Families are increasingly becoming overweight because they simply cannot afford to eat healthy. Even the families that are trying to avoid fast food restaurants still end up steering towards the unhealthy foods at the grocery store because of the price difference. Wiggins believes, “Cash-poor consumers are ditching healthy, more expensive foods such as smoothies and organic vegetables for cheaper, less healthy ones such as hamburgers and frozen pizzas, raising fears the fight against obesity has become the latest victim of the economic downturn” (4). With the value of money decreasing, less healthy food is much more affordable. It’s easier and less expensive to buy the foods with excess calories that lead to the country obesity. Unhealthy food tends to fill people up, and it costs much less. Wiggins also states, “People who were once health-conscious are now price-conscious” (4). The focus is no longer on what is healthier but what is affordable. Americans have forgotten how important it is to stay healthy.
With the focus on health fading behind prices, people are at greater risk for disease. Krukowski et al explains, “Lower income populations that may be at greater risk for obesity, cardiovascular disease and cancer may find that availability of healthy foods is a barrier to consuming a healthy diet” (315). With the United States having over 15% of the country suffering in poverty means that at least 15% of our Americans are at great risk for all these dangerous diseases. The access to the healthy foods that could rid of these alarming disease risks is limited. Many families are stuck eating unhealthy foods because it’s all they can afford. They are pretty much stuck with the weight gain and disease risk because they have no other option. This, in turn, creates yet another issue for the country. If these families had access to healthier foods, they would be more likely to have more of them in their households. Families would have more variety in their diets balancing the foods they enjoy and the foods that are good for them. Greater access to beneficial foods would result in less