Obesity, a discriminating social-economic factor
Obesity is undoubtedly a major public health problem in Europe and France. Recent studies(1) show that depending on the city, the diplomas obtained, the social level and the income, thinness becomes representative of an “external sign of wealth”.
A disconcerting finding
The newspaper “l’Express” publishes a study carried out by the company Withings(1) on 37 French cities with more than 100,000 inhabitants. It concludes that more than 55% of the inhabitants of Argenteuil are overweight or even obese. Conversely, the city of Aix-en-Provence has a much better rate: less than 36%. Withings’ study is entitled “Municipal Overload” (due to municipal elections). You will find in the sources of the article a direct link to all the data of the study.
The poorest households focus on primary problems such as basic physiological needs and safety. Shopping is done in supermarkets and choices are oriented towards processed foods, fattier, saltier, sweeter.
Conversely, among the wealthiest, basic needs are covered. There is an increase in the need for personal fulfillment. Thus, not giving in to food abundance becomes a sign of self-control and power.
Withings’ comparison criteria
If you go to the link (see sources of the article) of Withings, then you will see that it is possible to make comparisons according to 9 very distinct criteria in order to better understand this discriminating social-economic phenomenon:
- » The rate of car equipment per household
- » The median income of the inhabitants
- » Men’s life expectancy
- » The number of municipal sports facilities per 1000 inhabitants
- » The share of tertiary graduates
- » Women’s life expectancy
- » The relative value of the housing tax
- » The level of public health expenditure
The basic rules
They are effective but not always taken into consideration, yet simple to adopt, they make it possible to fight effectively against obesity. You have to eat three real meals and a snack a day, pay attention to salt and alcohol, exercise physically, hydrate properly and fall asleep before midnight in order to have a restful sleep.
A matter of education
Low-income households, according to these studies, have a low level of food education. Few nutritional benchmarks, without reading labeling and without meal structure… so many negative points that diminish their ability to eat balanced. Hygiene-dietary culture is not one of their priorities. Parents “buy badly” what children eat! In other words, in this vicious circle, the gap widens even more.
It is becoming urgent to inform all populations on how to eat well in order to curb this epidemic of obesity which has become typically French. In order to pursue and encourage these initiatives, programs exist such as the Food and Integration Plan on the initiative of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Forestry(2)tag. It’s good! But is it really enough?
What other solutions?
Certainly, French and European actions are already underway, such as the National Health Nutrition Program which covers the period from 2011 to 2015. As well as the 3rd European Health Program 2014-2020 which is in the process of being set up.
In order to fight against industrialists who “do not tell us everything”, what is, at the time of the municipal elections, on possible initiatives from town halls? Practical workshops on culinary information, labelling, structured meal composition… should be considered. And through the subsidies largely granted to the associative fabric, it has an important role to play in this area. There is a general awareness, but concrete initiatives are really difficult to establish.
Stephen Paul is the lead author and founder of My Health Sponsor. Holder of a diploma in health and well-being coaching with more than 200 articles in the field of health, he makes it a point of honor to offer advice based on reliable information, based on scientific research, and verified by health professionals.