More proof for the link of poor and obesity

The Colorado Health Foundation released a new study today that further establishes the link between obesity and being poor.

Low income children in Colorado are three times as likely to be obese than those of well off parents.

The foundation tells the Rocky Mountain News that the link is especially troublesome with more children slipping into poverty.

The "Income, Education and Obesity" study by the Colorado Health Foundation found that while Colorado remains one of the leanest states in the nation, its obesity rates are climbing dramatically. If current trends continue, two out of three adult Coloradans will be overweight or obese by 2017, the study's authors said.

Eating better and exercising more are the essential keys, but among low-income Coloradans with little education, getting there is complex, they say.

About a quarter of the Colorado kids living in households that earn less than $25,000 a year are obese, compared with just 8 percent of those living in households with $75,000 or more in income.

What is causing the disparity?

Fresh fruit and other nutritious foods are expensive. Grapes, at $3.99 a pound, are an extravagance to low-income parents who can feed the entire family at a fast-food restaurant.

Low-income families often turn to inexpensive food that is high in fat and high in empty calories.