Discussing trends in economic status and food security
Hi everyone! Welcome back to this week’s blog! In this week’s blog I will be talking about wrapping up the final parts of my research.This past week I have started writing my paper which is a systematic review on all of the articles and books I have so far. I know in one of my blogs I had discussed the trends I had found in discrimination and housing security. So in today’s blog, I will discuss two more which are food security and economic status.
Researchers study food security through using a tool called the Food Security Supplement which relies on 18 of the core indicators. A person’s food environment defined by food access, the ability to acquire food, or food security, which is assured availability of nutritionally adequate foods acquired in socially acceptable ways, influence dietary behaviors and CVD risk factors. While overall rates of unhealthy weight in the US population are alarming, rates of overweight or obesity among AIANs are even higher at 82%. This disparity can be attributed to various factors such as affordability, availability, access, and stability of food. For instance, policies affecting the cost of heating fuel can lead to unhealthy coping strategies and temporary issues with food access. Additionally, the high cost and limited availability of nutritious food options often force low-income households to rely on cheaper, processed foods high in fat, sugar, and salt, exacerbating cardiovascular health risks. Consequently, the combination of high heating fuel and food costs prompts many to opt for cheaper, often unhealthy, fast food or frozen meals.
Financial status is one of the core social determinants of health because it goes hand in hand with the other social determinants and has a major influence on them. “Nearly a quarter of AI/AN families are living below the federal poverty line, a rate that is 143% higher than non-Hispanic whites” [42]. With such high rates amongst AI/AN, this influences every aspect of their life such as quality and nutritious food as well as proper housing in a safe environment. The core influence of financial status is a person’s job or employment status. “Unemployment rates have also been shown to be as much as three times higher in AI/AN populations’.[42]. Even though AI/AN families already have such high rates of poverty, these rates are even higher amongst families living on tribal reservations. Despite this evidence, there are very few studies on the correlation between economic status and cardiovascular health.