If you want to run away
and never be seen again,
don’t come here
Gerard Rochford
The July poem
Elga Graves
Today’s Banner
Calgary Bay, Mull,
earlier this month
Photograph by
Islay McLeod
If everyone around you is
eating crisps, why would
you whip out a banana?
Katie Cunningham
For those living in bleak environments, engulfed by the chronic stresses of poverty and isolation, the ‘quick fix’ offered by a cigarette or bar of chocolate becomes a particularly appealing source of comfort.
In 2008, the Food Standards Agency conducted a study to investigate the extent of the issue and its impact on health in Scotland, visiting over 460 stores in nine regions of varying affluence. A ‘healthy eating indicator list’ of 35 healthy items from five food groups was established and over 460 shops visited. The results were unsurprising. While large shops generally sold a full range of all 35 items, smaller urban stores only sold around half at an average cost of 28% more per item. On a tight budget, it seems only logical to choose calorie-laden stodge over lighter options, which simply become a less cost-effective source of sustenance. Worryingly, at a time when UK food inflation rates are almost four times higher than the European average, the relationship between poverty and inadequate nutrition looks set to deepen.
There are also psychological and cultural influences to contend with. Children raised in households where processed foods are the norm are much less likely to become healthy eaters as adults. With limited exposure to wholesome foods, they remain unfamiliar and therefore less desirable. These children are also less likely to develop proficient cooking skills. Processed foods are favourable not only because they are cheap but because they are convenient, requiring minimal preparation. This is also of particular importance for those experiencing fuel poverty or without adequate cooking facilities.
It’s also interesting to observe the relationship between social class and brand affiliation. Low income groups are more likely to purchase brand-named products in an effort to avoid the perceived social stigma attached to buying cheaper, unbranded alternatives. The desire to fit in is a powerful one, particularly for a group who already feel ostracised by society. The inclusion of pre-packaged, refined products in lunchboxes and other meals consumed in company is seen as a way of masking economic status, offering a culinary route to keeping up with the Joneses. Again, this becomes self-propagating; in an environment where everyone around you is proudly tucking into their Nestle KitKat and Walkers crisps, you’re even less likely to want to whip out a banana.
Let’s face it – why would you? The main reason people engage in unhealthy behaviours is because they provide an instant hit of pleasure or relaxation. For those living in bleak environments, engulfed by the chronic stresses of poverty and isolation, the ‘quick fix’ offered by a cigarette or bar of chocolate becomes a particularly appealing source of comfort. Conversely, healthy choices are about sacrificing immediate gratification for a long-term benefit, namely a reduced risk of disease. However, if no one in your family has ever lived past 65, you’re much less likely to see any point in changing your behaviour. Asides, who wants to prolong a bleak and stressful existence? Without hope of an improved future, it’s difficult to feel motivated to invest in it.
Instead of victim blaming, we must take action. The financial climate may remain challenging, but government decisions should not punish those who are already suffering. Social welfare budgets must be protected, prioritising such activities as neighbourhood regeneration projects and providing safe, affordable housing to improve physical environments. Business policies should be emcouraged which increase employment, giving individuals a sense of purpose, self-sufficiency and self-esteem. And there should be in-work tax credits and travel and childcare subsidies, as well as targeted skills development programmes to make work accessible for the most deprived.
With the appropriate support, people can change their behaviour and prolong their lives. They just need to be worth prolonging.
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