Poverty and Hunger.

Poverty and hunger are two of the biggest issues plaguing the world today. These two issues effect literally every community on the earth. No one is immune to having poverty and hunger in their societies. That is truly terrifying if you think about it. The fact that even in affluent places like Salt Lake City, where I live, there are still billboards that advertise that 1 in 5 children are at risk for hunger. That is seriously concerning to me. 

It is generally understood what poverty is but there are some specific scientific ways to describe poverty. In the United States a family of 4 is considered to be below the poverty line if the total household income is under $23,550 per year. The poverty line for a single person is earning less than $11,490. Globally it has been established that if a person earns less than $1.25 per day then they are in poverty. That means that if the US followed global poverty standards anyone that made more than $456.25 was not in poverty. I think this is a good indicator of how great a disparity there is between the developed and developing countries. 

It should also be stated that most developing nations do not have the resources to assist those living in their country that are needy. If you are only making $400 per year then survival is going to be extremely difficult especially if you are not getting any financial support from your government. If you are barely surviving on your income then how are you going to be able to have good health. If you live in poverty then making any sort of strides towards better health is nearly impossible. Most people can only afford to even think about their health when they are sick and even then, they do not have the resources they need to get healthcare. 

Hunger is obviously a huge public health concern. If you do not have enough to eat or you are not getting the proper nutrition from the food you are eating then it is guaranteed that you will not be healthy. It is estimated that around 850 million people are suffering from hunger or under nutrition. That is about 1 in 8 people globally.  This hunger can stem from poverty but it can also come from conflicts like war, natural disasters, or famine.

People that live in poverty or are hungry are highly likely to be unhealthy. If you can not afford basic necessities the likelihood that you will be worrying about your health is very low. Poor and hungry people do not have the physical resources to think about health and all the stress from being poor usually means they do not have the mental resources to think about their health either. Health is heavily impacted by people's economic class.