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According to a new study, being seriously in debt and seriously overweight may go hand in hand, but researchers aren’t sure exactly why.
The new theory which comes from research conducted in Germany is that .”Overindebted” people were about twice as likely to be overweight as the general population. The study defines overindebted as not being able to pay off your debts within a reasonable time frame. Folks in the study who were overindebted were also more than 2.5 times as likely to be obese.
Socioeconomic status for a long time has been linked to health, but this study takes into account debt, something that hasn’t been looked at before. Individuals in the study who were very much in debt “Were younger, less educated, and less wealthy, and were also more likely to be depressed, overweight, or obese, the researchers found.”
Final results were inconclusive about why this is. One theory is that psychological factors may contribute to a larger risk of being overweight or obese. Researchers note that some folks overeat to cope with stress and depression. Another idea was that healthy foods may be less affordable. Although this is not technically true. As we’ve seen here before at Thrifty Mommy, you can eat healthy for a reasonable or even less expensive cost. The findings also don’t rule out the possibility that overweight or obese people may have a harder time than slimmer folks finding work.
If you’re in debt or having a hard time due to the economy, this study makes it pretty clear that your health should remain a top priority even in time of hardship. Weight gain and being unfit can be a slippery slope, one that results in even more health care costs and thus more debt. To see some tips read:
- How being overweight will cost you
- The cost of being unfit
- Save money on healthy and fast food
- Save Money by Picking Your Own Produce
- Green & Healthy Meals for About $1
Source (Reuters Health)
[image via stock.xchng]
They didn’t seem to tie the three together, at least that was the impression I got from your summary. And maybe that’s just the way I read it.
At any rate, I don’t really think it can be narrowed down to a chicken or egg issue. It seems interconnected to me. The trigger (or egg) may vary by individual, then the combination of things spiral downward. But, yeah, it does all end in a train wreck.
On the plus side, it shows that the “overindebted” (at least in Germany and, I would also suspect, many Western nations) still have access to food, which is something they likely would not have had in years past or in other parts of the world. So, they have access to food but may not be making the optimal food choices.
On the other hand, I believe I have read studies showing that stress can cause obesity. And, being in debt creates stress and I wouldn’t be surprised if it causes the body to kick into survival mode, where the subconscious is thinking “I better eat now, while I can, because I may not be able to buy food tomorrow.” So, the body “stocks up” on food, much like a bear prepares for hibernation, simply out of a subconscious awareness that food might not be plentiful in the future.
Sometimes nature’s instincts and modern civilization don’t always work in sync!
It could be, too, that a bag of chips is cheaper than therapy. Stress often leads to bad eating habits, so that could lead to being overweight. Stress may also lead to stuff like “shopping therapy”, which could put you further in debt.
So, you get stressed. You go shopping. You get the credit card bill. You get stressed out from that so you eat a bag of chips. Then, you need new clothes. It’s a downward spiral from there.
Seriously, though, I think stress may really be a component in this, since it can be tied to both obesity and debt, and be a cause of and exacerbated by both.
983 days ago
[...] food on every corner. PLUS maybe you could mix in some healthier fare and get some people off this train wreak of an obesity issue we’ve got going on in [...]
ah but is it the chicken or the egg?Healthy food do cost more and\or take more time to prepare,having the time and money for sports\exercise costs money mmmm. One politician really got in trouble when he tried to eat healthy on a welfare payment here in canada ,he had to admit defeat in the end!I’m overweight from illness ,medications and stress but have never been debt!We hate even having a mortgage so we are paying it off as fast as we can.
How big was this study anyway??