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Definition of Poverty​
 * POVERTY IN THE USA**

The definition of poverty is a state of indigence. people are poor and lack food and shelter and other needs.

Demographics and Poverty Facts

The tables show that there are more and a larger percentage of poor women in America than there are poor men. As of 2008, 12% of men in the United States were living below the poverty line, whereas 14% of women in the United States were living below the poverty line. Since 1966, the percentage of men below the poverty line has never gone below 9.6% or above 13.3%. However, women have been between 12.6% and 16.8%. There is always at least two percentages of difference between men and women any given year. The reason more women are poor than men is because many men in poor parts of America leave their women to take care of the children by themselves, which tremendously reduces what little finances the mother had for herself. In 2008, the total number of Americans living in poverty raised up to 39,829,000, a number that has been so high since 1960, with its total of 39,851,000. The region of the country most prone to poverty is the South, which numbers have always turned up greater than other regions. This is due to both cities in which the homeless live and farms that have been working hard just to make ends meet due to the rise of much large farm processing and marketing facilities. However, in 2008 when the total reached its peak, the percentage of poor Southerners actually decreased, and percentages raised in the Midwest and West.​ Poverty Song []

Effects of Hunger and Poverty

About 25,000 people die from hunger or hunger related causes each day. They do not have enough money to eat or afford health care. What’s sad is that there is plenty of food in the world to feed everybody. Those who don’t get enough to eat are trapped in severe poverty, homeless, and abandoned. They don’t even know how to help themselves. Some help organizations are formed to aid the homeless people and their families. Some programs provide children with food if they attend school. This makes sure that they get a good education and at least one meal a day. As a result of the low health care of people trapped in poverty, the ones who become sick from malnutrition usually never get better. Moms, dads, and older siblings may pass away and leave young children abandoned and hungrier than before. Some programs allow adults to work for food. They build roads, paint sidewalks, and do other public works to provide food for their families. Nearly one in four children all over the world is suffering from hunger. With low nutrient levels and malnutrition, children immune systems are weakened. This leads to diseases and illnesses such as pneumonia, malaria, and flues and colds. The other states with child hunger rates at or above 20 percent are: Tennessee, Arizona, South Carolina, Louisiana, Missouri, Maine, and the District of Columbia. Food insecurity has also shown to be associated with suicide and depressive disorders among 15 to 16 year old children in the US. Children from food insecure households are more likely to be behind in their academic development and school behavior compared to other children. Poverty and hunger can effect the world’s development acedemically and physically.

Geographical Areas of Poverty In The USA

According to the USDA, hunger remains a big problem in the United States with more than thirty five million Americans, including twelve million children, living on the verge of hunger. Approximately 4.5 million different people receive emergency food assistance in any given week. Michigan is one of the twenty five states with a higher food insecurity rate than the national average. There are now 533,354 people in the tri-county area living in poverty. The United States poverty rate was 12.5% in 2007. Also in 2007, the family poverty rate was 9.8%. Since 1980, the percentage of children living in poverty-stricken families has increased by 28%. Feeding America’s hunger report for 2010 shows that hunger is increasing at an alarming rate. Nearly half of all the children living in Detroit are living in poverty. Of the thirty seven million people that Feeding America feeds 70 percent of the households are below the poverty line. Each week almost 5.7 million people are helped by Feeding America. More than 204,000 children younger than eighteen in the tri-county area are living in poverty. The number of people living in poverty has increased twenty one percent in the last five years alone. Seventy percent of Feeding America clients are living in food-insecure households.

Poverty In Pennsylvania

Over 1.3 million people in Pennsylvania face poverty. Their needs vary from northern Pennsylvania, to southern Pennsylvania, eastern to western Pennsylvania, and urban to rural. According to the federal government’s 2004 poverty guidelines, a one adult and two children family making $15,670 a year is living in poverty. For a single parent with an infant and pre-schooler $4,272 a year goes to housing. Child care is $1,056, food takes $2,460, transportation is $1,272, $948 for health care, and $1,956 a year for taxes. Miscellaneous expenses for living such as electric, gas, clothing, toiletries etc. cost $3,060 every year. Even though that family may have federal and state assistance for child care, housing, nutrition, and health care only $646 remains by the end of the year. Pennsylvania has a poverty rate of 11.2%, making it the 29 highest poverty rate in the US. This is a little better than the rates of Maine and Idaho, but slightly worse than the rates of Kansas, Indiana, and Nevada. The highest poverty rates in Pennsylvania happen in the major cities. 15 major cities have poverty levels that are at critical levels (at least 50% above the state’s average poverty rate.) Some major cities ,with 25,000 or more people, with the critical poverty rates are: Altoona(17.7%) Harrisburg(24.6%), Lancaster(21.2%), Philadelphia(22.9%), Pittsburgh(20.4%), State College(46.9%), and York(23.8%). Surprisingly, 535,000 Pennsylvanians live in working families that have one to three children under 12 years old and do not earn enough to pay for basic necessities such as food, child care, house, and health care. This is 24% of families, roughly one out of every four. Almost 1/3 of families with incomes below twice the poverty threshold faced at least one “critical hardship,” such as getting evicted or having to “double up” in housing with another family, going without food, or not having access to medical care during an illness. About ¾ of families below twice the poverty level face at least one serious hardship, like worrying about food, using the emergency room as their main source of health care, failing to pay rent, having the telephone disconnected, or having children in inadequate child care arrangements. Food insufficiency is the most common hardship. 18% of families below twice the poverty like missed meals unwillingly. 40% worry about having enough food to keep from starving and for single-parent familes, food insecurities were experienced at rates of 23% 57 percent; respectively. Pa. Poverty Graph and Statistics []

What's Being Done To End Poverty

There is a lot that is supposedly being done to solve poverty in the United States, but do you know what is actually being done? The government says that they will put some of the money raised by taxes towards solving poverty, but what is being done?

A small amount of tax money does go towards helping the people that can’t help themselves, but clearly not enough. “A billionaire could stop poverty very quickly but unfortunately billionaires aren't that generous” ([]). Yes, It is true that a billionaire could solve poverty, but since they don’t, more pressure must be put on the government to do their part and contribute more money than they do.

Although the government has past bills and things of that matter to ‘put an end to poverty’. “They set targets but they are not being met”,([]).


 * CHILDHOOD OBESITY

​** DEFINITION OF CHILDHOOD OBESITY

Obesity can be many different things depending on your ideal weight. Obesity is considered being twenty percent over your ideal weight. Obesity is based on behavioral and sometimes genetic causes. Some people are overweight from over eating and lack of exercise. Others are overweight because of genetic reasons passed down from your family before you. Culture also has a big effect on obesity. Some cultures have larger eating habits than others causing some people in that culture to become obese. Emotional and psychological problems for some people can also cause them to become obese. People in any kind of depression sometimes look to food as an escape to their problems. Gender can also have a big effect on chances of obesity. Men burn ten to twenty percent more fat than women making the chances for women to become obese much greater than a man’s. So, there are many ways to become obese, but with healthy living and more exercise, obesity doesn’t have to become a factor in anyone’s life.

RISK FACTORS / WHEN TO SEEK HELP There are many factor's that help your child from being over weight. Some of them are diet, lack of exercise, family history, Psychological factors,Family factors, and Socioeconomic factors. You can talk to you child about his or her feelings, you can be sensitive to your child's needs and feelings, find reasons to praise your child's efforts, and help your child focus on positive goals. That is what you do when you need to seek help.

TESTS & DIAGNOSIS

TYPE II / METABOLIC SYNDROME

TREATMENT AND DRUGS

PREVENTION / COPING & SUPPORT

For prevention of childhood obesity you have to teach your child good eating habits, keep them out of a stressful environment. You also have to be patient and set a good example for them. For coping and Support is is basically the same thing like risk factors.