Speaker
Description
“Relationship Between Spatial Disparities, Unsustainable Food Environments and Obesity Contingency”
Due to population growth, uncontrolled urbanization, climate change and insufficient governmental supports, the food security concerns are becoming more important around the world. As a result of major global events (e.g., environmental issues, economic shocks and conflict) and uncontrolled growth in some cities resulted in an increase in poverty, food insecurity, and unemployment rates in urban and peri-urban areas. According to FAO (1996), food security at all different levels is achieved “when all people, at all times, have physical and economic access to sufficient, safe, and nutritious food that meets their dietary needs and food preferences for an active and healthy life”. Food insecurity and poverty not only contribute to the rise of undernutrition but also increase the prevalence of obesity by shifts in the consumption of unhealthy diets among the low and middle-income populations. Given the clear importance of both economic development and obesity prevalence, it is necessary to deeply and systematically study and understand how a country's income is connected to obesity and what macro-environmental factors affect this connection. To that end, the aim of this study is to extend the literature on national socioeconomic status and individual obesity by addressing the impact of spatial disparities and inequalities on food security. There are substantial and complex differences in the national-level factors and individual micro-level factors that affect obesity-related outcomes. Therefore, to explore the income-obesity paradox and the socioeconomic-obesity relationship across selected case studies, a quantitative method is assembled. The case studies are chosen based on The World Bank’s classification of countries by per capita gross national income: Low-Income, Lower-Middle Income, Upper-Middle Income, and High-Income countries. In addition to Turkey as a focal case, the highest-ranking country from each classification is selected for further analysis. The Spearman's Correlation Coefficient (ρ or rs) is used in order to assess the strength and direction, whether positive or negative, of the relationship between the dependent variable (obesity rate) and other independent variables. The variables used in Spearman's Correlation are Gini index, GDP rate (Gross Domestic Product), Obesity rate and Global Food Security Index (GFSI). Obesity data is sourced from the World Obesity Federation (WOF) and the World Health Organization (WHO), while data on GDP and the Gini Index is obtained from The World Bank. Results reveal a positive linear relationship between national income and population obesity prevalence, highlighting the significance of national economic status alongside individual factors in shaping food insecurity and obesity outcomes. Furthermore, the relationship between national economic status and obesity in developing countries show similarities with that in developed countries. The analyses indicate that high and upper-middle-income economies show the similar patterns of obesity rates compared to low-income countries. The persistent surge in food insecurity, driven by a complex interplay of factors, demands immediate attention and coordinated global efforts to alleviate and this critical humanitarian challenge and contribute to more effective planning policies.
Keywords: Food insecurity, Economic disparity, National economic status, Obesity.
| Keywords | Food insecurity; Economic disparity; National socio-economic status; Obesity, Turkey. |
|---|---|
| Best Congress Paper Award | No |
