Low-income individuals and families have very specific and important health issues to deal with. From access to contraceptives, basic health care and food stability, low-income families struggle to stay healthy. While some low-income individuals need more education regarding health issues, others simply need more access to adequate care.
Teen Pregnancies
According to the California Department of Education, poor and low-income individuals are more likely than middle or upper-class individuals to become pregnant during their teenage years. Low-income teenagers make up about 40 percent of the teenage population but account for 83 percent of all teenage births and 85 percent of unmarried parents. It is not known whether low-income teenagers are more sexually active or have lesser access to contraceptives than teenagers from higher-income families.
Formula Feeding
The United States Department of Agriculture conducted a study on various health issues associated with low-income families receiving food stamps. The study found that women of low income were less likely to breastfeed their babies and more likely to use formula to feed their babies. Even though pediatricians generally recommend breastfeeding until a baby is a year or older, only 17 percent of the low-income infants who were breastfed in the study were breastfed until one year of age. It is interesting to note that low-income women have lower breastfeeding rates since breastfeeding is more economically feasible than formula, which can be very expensive. It may be that low-income women lack access to breastfeeding education and support.
Physical Activity
The USDA also evaluated the physical activity levels of low-income individuals. They state that although the government's Healthy People 2010 campaign recommends physical activity for 30 minutes at least three times per week, low-income individuals exercised far less than that, on average. Thirty percent of low-income individuals on the food stamp program exercised at least three times per week, while 60 percent of higher-income individuals exercised at least three times per week.
Smoking
The United States Department of Agriculture reports that low-income females are more likely to smoke than females with higher incomes. The report also found that low-income smokers began smoking at a younger age, on average, than did smokers in higher-income categories.
Food Stability
An important issue for people who have limited incomes is food stability and access to healthy food. Because these same people are more likely to smoke and have babies at younger ages, they are also less likely to spend money buying healthy foods. The USDA reports that government programs, such as the food stamp program and the WIC program, are the main ways that many low-income individuals can get healthy foods. The National School Lunch program also helps low-income children get nutritious lunches and breakfasts.
References
- USDA: Nutrition and Health Characteristics of Low-Income Populations: Volume I, Food Stamp Program Participants and Nonparticipants: Health Related Behaviors
- California Department of Education: Teen Pregnancy and Parenting in California
- USDA Food and Nutrition Services: Reaching Low-Income Hispanics With Nutrition Assistance
