This was the result of a semester long group project on poverty and how you can take steps to fight it at the community level.

1. Implications of Poverty in the
United States
EMILY CUNIS, BAILEY SHAW, JACLYN JANERO, & BEN BUESCHER

2. What is Poverty?
• Household income below $23,492/year
• Concentrated in rural and urban areas
• Largest age group that is in poverty is less than 18 years old
• Minorities make up 50% of impoverished
• Poverty goes hand-in-hand with food insecurity, obesity,
malnutrition
• Problems are cyclical
Gabe, 2013; Cook and Frank 2008

3. What is Food Security?
• When people/individuals experience no hunger and have
satisfactory quality and quantity of food
• Most prevalent in elderly and Hispanic groups
• 4 levels of food security
• Food secure, food insecure without hunger, food insecure with
moderate hunger, food insecure with severe hunger
• Children are typically non-affected by food insecurity until the fourth
level, as parents tend to prioritize their children
• Food insecurity does not indicate poverty
• Low food budgets, lack of nutritious foods in diet, consumption of low
quality foods all qualify – not just economic level
Martin and Farris, 2007; Drewnowski and Specter, 2004; Bhattacharya, Currie ,and Haider, 2004

4. Important Statistics
• Approximately 46 million Americans struggle with poverty
• This is ~14% of the population
• 14.5% of households in 2010 experienced food insecurity
• Households in poverty are 4 times more likely to be food insecure
• Food insecurity is a predictor of obesity within the ages of 18 to 64 years
old
• Many of the impacted turn to government assistance programs to
supplement
Gillespie, 2014; Bhattacharya et al, 2004

5. This chart shows how
the poor are
disproportionately
affected by obesity,
diabetes, and
sedentariness.
American Diabetes Association

6. Supplemental Nutrition and Assistance Program (SNAP)
• Serves 14% of the population as of 2011
• Historically, was a booklet of stamps used to buy surplus
goods
• Today, it is a debit card known as EBT (Electronic Benefit
Transfer)
• Politically controversial
• Many want to regulate what can be bought using SNAP
• Strict requirements for application
SNAPtohealth.org

7. National School Lunch Program
• Federally assisted meal program in over 100,000
public and non-profit private schools
• Children from families with incomes at or below 130%
of poverty level eligible for free meals
• In 2012, served 31 million children each day, nationally
• Food from this program tends to be innutritious,
unappetizing
USDA

8. Obesity: What is it?
• Product of human evolution to defend stored body fat in periods of starvation
• Industrialization provided access to vast quantities of high-calorie foods,
transportation
• Brought down physical activity, healthy eating
• Should be mentioned that it also decreased starvation and food
inaccessibility
• Obesity is anything above 30.0 BMI (kg/m^2)
• Obesity rates worldwide are remarkable enough to be considered an epidemic
• They have risen in both sexes, across all ages and races, as well as
educational levels
• Highest rates are amongst the most disadvantaged groups
Bellisari, 2007; Drewnowski, 2010

9. Obesity: Statistics
• In 1980, 47% of adults were overweight or obese
• Rose to 65% by 2005 (Stinson, 2012)
• More than 1/3 of US children are overweight or at risk for
becoming overweight (Stemp-Morlock, 2007)
• In 2004, 59 million Americans were considered obese, with
300,000 dying each year from related causes
• Second-leading cause of death in the United States, after
smoking (Mead, 2004)
Stinson, 2012; Stemp-Morlock, 2007; Mead, 2004

10. Obesity: Possible Causes
• Sedentary jobs – lack of exercise, movement
• Lack of leisure time – no time for additional exercise,
to prepare and cook healthier foods, etc
• Lower cost of foods high in fat and calories – easier
access to foods that are less healthy and more
obesogenic
Stinson, 2012

11. Chart showing
the rise in
obesity from
1961 to 2009.
CDC

12. Socioeconomic Status (SES)
• Measured by looking at income, education, occupation, and
household possessions
• Low-SES Americans live in bad neighborhoods with poor access to
health care, though many have jobs and incomes
• States with the lowest overall SES have the highest proportion of
obese citizens
• As SES goes up, it is associated with lower levels of overweightness
and obesity – particularly in women
• Women with less than a high school education and income below
poverty have twice the rate of obesity as women with highest
education and income levels
Bellisari, 2013; Stinson, 2012;

13. Socioeconomic Status (SES)
• Healthy diets are not a choice – health foods are expensive and
costs are rapidly rising
• Most low-SES individuals live in ‘food deserts’ – neighborhoods
with little or no access to supermarkets
• Poor neighborhoods have 1/3 as many markets as wealthy
neighborhoods, despite higher population density
• Instead, they access convenience stores, corner stores, bars, taverns,
and fast food restaurants
• Americans spend the lowest proportion of disposable income on
food – 12%
• Americans also have the lowest cost food supply in the world
Stinson, 2012

14. Alternative Solutions
EXPLORING COMMUNITY LEVEL SOLUTIONS

15. Soup Kitchens
• A location where free food is served to the public in the form of
soup
• Impacts mostly the homeless populations
• Can serve a lot of people in a small amount of time for no cost to
anyone
• Non-profit, funded by donors and grants
• Food lacks in nutritional value
• Soup kitchens lack dignity

16. Educational Programs
• Seminars or classes that are set-up to teach community
members about food, food prep, budgeting, etc
• Run at a very low cost and have a long-lasting effect
• Caters to all audiences
• Cost time and money to run, as well as attend
• People who attend programs must be willing to change their
habits or lifestyle

17. Free or Reduced Lunches
• Serves students who are financially struggling a free or
reduced lunch during school
• Ensures the consumption of one lunch, every school day
• Basic nutrients for the day provided
• Only provides one meal of the day for only five days of the
week
• Lacking in nutrients, vitamins
• Can contribute to obesity – mass produced meals served are
high in sodium, fats

18. Food Stamp Program
• Government sponsored program – gives a weekly allowance to
spend on designated food items
• Application to qualify
• Free to apply for, free to use
• Provides nutritional food at no cost to the qualified
• Limited funds per week
• Fresh food is expensive and depletes funds quickly
• Application is time-consuming, rigorous
• Requires in-person interviews, transport to the center is a challenge,
as well as finding time for those who work multiple jobs

19. Group Recommendations

20. FoCo Café
• Non-profit restaurant in Old
Town, Fort Collins, Colorado
• FoCo stands for, ‘Feeding Our
Community Ourselves’
• Open since Thanksgiving Day,
2014
• Has since served 6,187 lunches
as of the end of March
• Able to use almost exclusively
organic foods due to beneficial
partnerships with local farms, as
well as the food co-op
• Went there ourselves, as a group,
for a field study
FoCo Cafe

22. FoCo Café provides fresh, organic, nutritious
meals at the cost of whatever the patron can
afford, including donations of time and talent.
They also provide a variety off foods with an
ever-changing menu.

23. FoCo Café supplies patrons with
a restaurant environment and
features people from all levels of
SES. The co-owner, Kathleen
Baumgardner, told us that for
some families that come in, it is
the only time that they can
afford to go out to a restaurant.
FoCo Café attempts to provide
that atmosphere, and even
features donations of live music
for meals.

24. Their next project
consists of community
gardens, which you can
see the beginning stages
of in their restaurant
(more on these soon).
This is a photo of a
hydroponic community
garden of fresh herbs.
They can be picked for
the public or used in
food preparation at the
café.

25. FoCo Café: Negative Aspects
• 100% Volunteer Run
• Though cheap, completely reliant on generosity of others
• Possibility individuals will not show up for a shift – hard to make up lost
resources
• Not Common
• Hard to Start
• Kathleen said it took her two and a half years to raise money – only money
• Extensive demographic research
• Build community and excitement
• To get and keep donors, repeat customers

26. Community Gardens/Urban Farming:
These are plots of land in proximity to urban settings in which
neighborhoods collectively grow produce and emphasize healthy lifestyle
choices.

27. • Pros:
• Access to fresh food
• Educational value
• Free fruits and veggies
• Know exactly what food has gone through
• Socially beneficial
• Cons:
• Commitment of time and money
• Initial costs
• Permit/legal complications
• Food is not prepared, takes time to cook it

28. References
• Bellisari, A, (2007). Evolutionary Origins of Obesity. The International Association for the Study of Obesity, 9, 165-180.
• Bellisari, Anna. (2013). The Obesity Epidemic in North America: Connection biology and culture. Long Grove, IL: Waveland Press.
• Bhattacharya, J., Currie, J., & Haider, S. (2004). Poverty, Food Insecurity, And Nutritional Outcomes In Children And Adults. Journal of Health Economics, 839-862.
• Cook, J., & Frank, D. (2008). Food Security, Poverty, and Human Development in the United States. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 193-209.
• Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and ObesityNational Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (2014). Obesity Prevalence Across States and
Territories. Overweight and Obesity. http://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/prevalence-maps.html
• Drewnowski, A. (2004). Obesity and the Food Environment Dietary Energy Density and Diet Costs. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 27(3S), 154-162.
• Drewnowski, A. (2010). Obesity, diets, and social inequalities. Nutrition Reviews, 67, 36-39.
• Drewnowski, A., & Specter, S. (2004). Poverty and obesity: The role of energy density and energy costs. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 6-16.
• Gabe, T. (2013). Poverty in the United States: 2012. Congressional Research Service Report for Congress, 1-79.
• Gillespie, P. (2014). Over 48 Million American’s Live in Poverty. Cable News Network.http://money.cnn.com/2014/10/16/news/economy/48-million-americans-poverty-
census-bureau/
• Hansan, J.P. (2011). Origins of the State and Federal Public Welfare Programs (1932 – 1935). The Social Welfare History Project. Retrieved from http://
www.socialwelfarehistory.com/programs/origins-of-the-state-federal-public-welfare-programs/

29. Ref. Cont.
• Hertel, T., & Rosch, S. (2010). Climate Change, Agriculture, and Poverty. Applied Economic Perspectives and Policy, 355-385.
• Martin, K., & Ferris, A. (2007). Food Insecurity And Gender Are Risk Factors For Obesity.Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior, 31-36.
• Martin, P & Weaver, D. (2005). Social Security Bulletin. Social Security: A Program and Policy History, 66 (1).
http://www.ssa.gov/policy/docs/ssb/v66n1/v66n1p1.html
• Mead, M. N. (2004). Origins of Obesity. Environmental Health Perspectives, 6, 344.
• Miech, R. A., Kumanyika, S. K., Stettler, N., Link, B. G., Phelan, J.C., Chang, V.W. (2006). Trends in the Association of Poverty With Overweight Among US
Adolescents, 1971-2004. American Medical Association, 295, 2385-2392.
• Peterson, J. (2012). Chicago’s Peterson Garden Project- Built for Victory. Seasonal Wisdom.
• Snaptohealth.org. (2011).
• Stemp-Morlock, G. (2007). Exploring Developmental Origins of Obesity. Environmental Health Perspectives, 5, 242.
• Stinson, S. (2012). Growth Variation: Biological and Cultural Factors. Human Biology: An Evolutionary and Biocultural Perspective, 12, 587-615.
• U.S. Census Bureau. (2010). OMB Statistical Policy Directive No. 14. Experimental PovertyMeasures Methodology.
https://www.census.gov/hhes/povmeas/methodology/ombdir14.html
• United States Department of Agriculture. (2014).
• WHO. (2015). Food Security. Trade, Foreign Policy, Diplomacy, and Health. http://www.who.int/trade/glossary/story028/en/