Blame the economy, not food for the US obesity epidemic, UW professor says

Obesity is often blamed on making poor dietary choices, leading a sedentary lifestyle and genetics.

Not so, says UW Professor Adam Drenowski in an op-ed piece in today’s Seattle Post-Intelligencer. 

Obesity is due to poverty, Drewnowski argues.

Obesity is linked to poverty, because with less money to spend on food the poor are driven to buy cheap, high-calorie foods that are affordable—but also rich in fat, sugar and starches.

“Upscale neighborhoods are lean; poor neighborhoods are more likely to be obese,” writes Drewnowski. “Across King County, obesity rates range from a low of 5 percent to a high of 30 percent depending on ZIP coude.” 

The link between poverty and obesity is so close that you can predict obesity rates in an area on the basis of the area’s real estate prices.

America’s obesity epidemic is due to social and economic policies that have “created an obese and increasingly diabetic underclass,” Drewnowski writes.

To learn more:

• Read Professor Drewnoski’s op-ed piece in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.
• Visit  the UW Center for Obesity Research and the UW Center for Public Health Nutrition.
• Visit Partners in Action, the Washington State program to reduce obesity and chronic disease by promoting physical activity and better nutrition.

Tags: Eco, Obesity, Weight Control

Category: Diet & Nutrition