The World Health Organization (WHO, 2017) estimates that 1.2 billion people in the world live in extreme poverty. This concept of poverty is used to describe those who lack the means or resources to meet basic needs. In effect, those living in poverty are deprived of ready access to sufficient food supply, clean water, basic toilet facilities, safe housing or any health care that is generally the norm of living enjoyed by the broader community (Torpy, Lunm & Glass, 2007, p.1837). In saying this, it is obvious that poverty is a social determinant of health that causes health inequality for those across Australia. In general terms, the lower an individual’s socio-economic status (SES), the poorer their health. Communities with low-economic status and high poverty are at risk of being overweight as there are low levels of physical activity settings (Powell, Slater …show more content…
As Australia is a higher-income nation, the cost per unit of food is low and hence, associates with high-energy intakes. A community study (Drewnowski, 2004, p.6) of French adults found that energy-dense foods that are high in fat, sugar or starch are linked to high energy intakes and excess weight gain. Such foods consist of sweets, fast foods and desserts. In comparison, energy-dilute foods which include fruits and vegetables are associated with higher diet costs. From this observational study, it highlights the low cost of energy dense foods and the association of lower incomes and food insecurity with lower intakes of fruits and vegetables leading to lower-quality diets. For this reason, people living in a lower-income household may be more prone to consume energy-dense foods rather than the healthier options, which most likely contributes to the obesity epidemic (Government of Western Australia Department of Health,