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Class Struggle at the Waistline
Schwalbe, Michael
http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/10/23/class-struggle-at-the-waistline/Date Written: 2013-10-23 Publisher: Counterpunch Year Published: 2013 Resource Type: Article Cx Number: CX22172 The obesity rate has soared not because lower income earners lack the knowledge to eat wisely, but because they have lost power over the economic conditions of their lives. Abstract: -- Excerpt: Conventional public health wisdom attributes the rise in obesity to poor eating habits and lack of exercise. The solution, therefore, is supposedly education. Teach people to eat better (less fast food, more fruits and vegetables) and to make exercise a priority in their lives, and the obesity epidemic will wane. There’s nothing wrong with urging people to eat better and exercise more. But this simple prescription ignores the root of the problem. In fact, by implicitly blaming individuals for not taking better care of their bodies, it helps to perpetuate the problem. Subject Headings |