I am in agreement with Joanna - we need to brainstorm solutions for the problem of lower socio-economic populations not eating enough 'healthy" foods. The individualistic, lifestyle health promotion approach has certainly proved inadequate. Which is not to say that 'healthy eating guildlines" are not important, since there are some who still don't understand its importance. Those who are 'unaware' of proper eating habits are present in every social class - therein, justifying the need for these health promotional materials.
From a social determinants perspective however, not eating healthy foods is probably not the only reason for the greater prevalence amongst poor ppl to have poorer health. We all know people who are 'better-off' and still eat poorly, but seem to be quite healthy. Treating healthy eating habits as a sole determinant of health is not plausible.
Joanna's smoking analogy offers a potential solution. But from a sociological perspective, those same smoking laws/restrictions have caused social labelling of smokers as bad, deviant, and inconsiderate of others (non-smokers & 2nd hand smoking diseases). Is it appropriate to add another label, given that the prevalence of such unhealthy 'lifestyle' choices occurs in higher proportions amongst poorer populations? In doing so, the solution becomes another form of individualizing. Thereby, maintaining onus upon the poor person to eat healthy/not smoke. Furthermore, what about the social factors that have made it increasingly important/essential to eat better, why do we have to get so many grams of vitamin D to benefit from calcium? option a) a) because we're not getting enough sun (b/c some of us don't know we need to or are too lazy) , b) or because we're!
not getting sun, since it causes cancer because we're ruining the ozone layer. Where we lay the blame has huge implications. And since we are amidst a shift/ between paradigms and there is no absolute concensus, we must ackowledge and apply the views of each. I think that most would agree: the location of blame has not one single source.
Vanessa Yu
York University