Thanks for the response Rob.  I was collecting my thoughts to respond.

I have spent time living in poverty and time not living in poverty, it is
much easier to make healthy choices if you are not poor, it seems when you
are not worried about paying the rent, feeding your kids or what the next
emergency is going to be that you can start to think of yourself.  For many
single moms their kids come first, often they go without quality food to
ensure their children have the best possible food.  I have often talked to
moms who keep their children's food separate.

In Ottawa and in many places around Ontario poor people and their supporters
are engaged in a campaign around welfare rates called:

Feed the Kids
AND
Pay the Rent Campaign

We found in Ottawa in gave people a space to talk about their struggles to
keep things together.

You can find out more about the campaign at:

http://dawn.thot.net/paytherent.html

Maybe OPHA and others would like to endorse the campaign and work with
groups in their local communities on it.

S



-----Original Message-----
From: Health Promotion on the Internet [mailto:[log in to unmask]]On



you said..........."While the average welfare recipient may not have a ton
of
> money to throw around, they are still given some money and the choice
between
> buying nutritious food or fast food.  Giving them more money does not
remove
> the choice.  Part of our work is to instil the value of health in everyone
so
> that everyone, regardless of income or advantage, makes the healthiest
choices
> they can."

Implicit in these words is a 'moral imperative' about what constitutes
'healthy eating' and the 'proper ways' in which one should spend their money
(especially welfare recipients).  So little is understood about the meaning
of fast food in the lives of the poor, the links between consumerism, fast
food and obesity, and the 'reasons' why poor people appear to make 'poor'
decisions about food.  We do know that middle-class people with stable,
financial lives are better able to make 'good decisions' about food and
nutrition, about smoking, and about all of those other 'lifestyle' factors
that everyone in this field seems to believe accounts for good health.  I
quote....."instilling the value of health in everyone " is a moralistic
statement that will accomplish little in improving the health of the poor.
Indeed, there is an entire body of literature bantered around this listserv
to prove otherwise.........why is it being ignored?







From: "Jacquie Poitras" <[log in to unmask]>



> I think that is a very narrow point of view to take.  To say that we, as
public
> health practitioners, shouldn't be focusing on the nutrition habits of
> disadvantaged people because we wouldn't do the same for the middle-class
is,
> quite frankly, a cop-out.  We work within a certain framework--the social,
> cultural and economic structure that surrounds us--and we need to
acknowledge
> that in our work.  While the average welfare recipient may not have a ton
of
> money to throw around, they are still given some money and the choice
between
> buying nutritious food or fast food.  Giving them more money does not
remove
> the choice.  Part of our work is to instill the value of health in
everyone so
> that everyone, regardless of income or advantage, makes the healthiest
choices
> they can.
>
> More money is not the solution--though it may be part of a more
comprehensive
> policy and program initiative.  The solution is changing knowledge,
attitudes
> and behaviours at the individual level, resulting in a global impact.
>
> Jacquie Poitras

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