Poverty Social Issues

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Poverty is a social issue that has be a problem for humanity since the beginning of time. Poverty has been a consistent and ongoing problem throughout history all over the world (Rasheed, 2013). No matter what the society is like or the median salary inside that society there have always been people who are homeless and starving (Rasheed, 2013). Despite the United States being a modern, developed country we still struggle with poverty and unemployment (Rasheed, 2013). Every day there are people struggling to find food, clothing and shelter. This problem in society has various effects on different government institutions (Rasheed, 2013). The federal government measures poverty by the numbers (Rasheed, 2013). “In 2007, the federal “poverty line” was set at $16,530 for a family of three and $21,203 for a family of four (USCB) (Rasheed, 2013).” If a family makes less money a year than they can live on they are officially classified as poor (Rasheed, 2013). “According to the Census Bureau, about 12.3 percent of all Americans were living in poverty in 2006 (Rasheed, 2013).” That means there are 36 million people at or below poverty level in the United States (Rasheed, 2013).
Poverty guidelines are issued by the government so people can find the programs they need for help (Smith, 2003). In the year 2010, 15.1 percent of all people lived in poverty (Smith, 2003). The poverty rate in 2010 was the highest rate recorded since 1993 (Smith, 2003). Between 1993 and 2000, the poverty rate fell each year, reaching 11.3 percent in 2000 (Smith, 2003).
The poverty rate for different ethnic group varies a substantial amount (Smith, 2003). Poverty rate amongst blacks and Hispanics exceeds the national average (Smith, 2003). In 2010, 27.4 percent o...

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...ces like this that put them at higher risk for obesity, and research has shown that parental obesity, and especially obesity on the maternal side, is a very strong predictor of childhood obesity (Tazi, 2010).
Low-income youth and adults are exposed to disproportionately more marketing and advertising for obesity-promoting products that encourage the consumption of unhealthful foods and discourage physical activity (Tazi, 2010). These advertisements are a particularly strong sawyer on the diets, and purchases of children, who are the unfortunate targets of many marketing schemes (Tazi, 2010). Many people at or below poverty level cannot afford health care, or if health care is available to them, it is low quality and not always what they need (Tazi, 2010). This results in lack of diagnosis and treatment of emerging chronic health problems like obesity (Tazi, 2010).

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