Who knew Elton John was such a visionary?
And I don't mean the platform shoes or the bedazzled sunglasses; nope, I'm referring to a line in one of his most famous rock songs, the explicit title of which I can't tell you on the pages of a family newspaper, but think of an unspayed female dog returning after a long absence.
The line goes, "The times are changing; now the poor get fat."
I bring this up because in the two weeks since the release of B.C.'s Child Poverty Report Card showing our province with the second worst child poverty rate in Canada at 14.3 per cent, I've heard lots of people question those findings in light of the number of overweight and obese children they see every day. They wonder how a child who eats more than he needs could possibly be poor.
It seems that Elton's 1974 hit doesn't get as much radio play anymore and people need to be reminded that poverty and obesity in developed nations like Canada are inextricably linked.
But don't take my word for it. Just type poverty and obesity into your Google search engine and you can spend the rest of the day reading about how right I am.
A 2009 study in Montreal demonstrated that low-income areas have less access to quality, healthy food than their high-income counterparts. Another study found that fast-food restaurants are more prevalent in low-income neighbourhoods.
South of our border, one U.S. study found more than one-third of adults earning less than $15,000 annually were obese, compared to 25 per cent among those earning more than $50,000 a year.
The same study found that factors contributing to the disproportional impact of obesity on low-income populations include food marketing campaigns targeted to the poor.
In Canada, those marketing campaigns are peppered throughout our favourite television programs during the 20 hours a week the average family watches.
Even if you disregard every study, every statistic and the wisdom of Sir Elton John, it only takes a trip to the grocery store to see that foods considered healthy cost more than high-fat, high-calorie snacks and meals. If you're poor, regular ground beef goes a lot further at the table than boneless, skinless chicken breasts.
What our population puts into their bodies is only half the equation, though. The other half is exercise and activity, yet they don't come cheaply either, as any hockey or soccer family will attest.
Further, according to the B.C. Recreation and Parks Association, the construction of indoor recreational facilities in B.C. has gone from a high of 270 buildings in the 1970s to just 67 between 2000 and 2010.
The bottom line: the times are changing; now the poor get fat.
Children who are obese are more likely to become obese adults.
Obesity in adults is linked to a plethora of pricy health issues, from hip fractures and heart disease to diabetes.
Society doesn't take so kindly to either the poor or the overweight, leading to psychological impacts as well, from depression and anxiety to low self-esteem.
Poverty is a massive problem, with equally massive costs and consequences. B.C. and Saskatchewan are the only two provinces in Canada that don't have a dedicated poverty-reduction strategy.
Whatever the cost, ending child poverty would pay for itself.
