Economics and China

[kandrathe]

If the problem with obesity is that some people have "too much," then why does the map of US obesity look like a mirror image of income?

I propose possibly;

1. Correlation <> causality.
   
2. The Relationship Between Poverty and Obesity is more complicated than a bottom line figure.
   
3. If poverty can be fattening, then also perhaps obesity may be impoverishing. Obesity: Epidemic or Myth? Poor health leads to less income, more health care, and more poverty. Or, as my doctor assures me regarding my aerobic exercise, " it is a flabby heart that will kill you, so don't worry about getting BMI under 20".
   
4. Poverty in the US, due to food programs, may not indicate the presence of hunger. There may be a dearth of nutrition, but that is more a caloric choice, or lack of choice issue.
   
5. There are some notable issues with your map (and I suspect it's data interpretation). Why are the border areas in Texas, and California (obvious impoverished areas) not obese? Why is Kansas and Missouri, more completely obese? Clearly, there are factors beyond poverty at play, such as those suggested in the article; food choices, sedentary hobbies (lack of exercise), stress, unemployment rates, and regional culture

Here is an interactive US poverty map by county. >click< I see issues with the simple poverty = obesity equation. But clearly, the worse condition would be to find oneself both obese and impoverished.

My thought was more related to a "World View" on wealth and hunger. Which more closely correlates to GNI PPP. WHO's view on global obesity in women.