Obesity and Food Insecurity Trends

Obesity and food insecurity have been one of society’s ever-changing trends throughout centuries. In the 17th to 19th centuries, obesity was a sign of wealth or even royalty, because of the scarce amount of fresh carbohydrates many areas offered to their citizens. Growing to the 20th and 21st century (present), obesity is known to be unhealthy, and shamed for on the internet and in society. These trends have shown a varying perspective of those with obesity and food insecurity, along with reasons for these different evolutions.

Why was obesity valued in the 17th-19th centuries?

Healthcare maintenance throughout these centuries was one of the most highly desired things to have because of its value for almost everyone. A safe, secure healthcare system is what billions of people consider given today, but was rarely given hundreds of years ago. At the time, healthcare distinguished obesity as a sign of eating enough- or overeating- as suitable because of the customs of food. The option to eat fatty meats, vegetables, and lots of sweets was solely for the wealthy and royalty; those who could afford this much food… Now fast forward to the present where similar stances are shown through hunger in third-world countries and poor cities.

Food in income

How much energy a person is supposed to contain can be modeled by how much food they are eating and the frequency they eat it. An individual with a well-stocked week for meals may not see the importance of eating all of it right away, and instead will eat how much they need or even want per day. On the other hand, an individual without the guarantee of food may see eating the only meal they get right away, because of their unknown standpoint of their next meal. Applying this to groups of people in our society, a group of people who rarely have enough food to spread out throughout a week are commonly low-income, and individuals in poverty. Meanwhile, those with a guarantee of food whenever they want can afford meals daily, usually individuals of middle-high income. As well as affording constant meals, those with a higher income can afford better food, as well as healthier options, which tend to be more expensive. Connecting this to how this food trend affects obesity, one can observe that the former group is more likely to be overweight because of their unmaintained and unhealthy diet, while the latter would be in the place of having a healthier body. Although there are outliers in these circumstances, almost 40% of people with income below 130% of federal poverty level are obese.

There are many factors to take into part when investigating obesity. Ethnicity, income, and location all affect people with obesity and their life. Taking a closer look has shown the progression of obesity and food insecurity, and the impact it has on millions of people today.