Food Insecurity among Native Americans

Therefore, compared to other societies (Whites) in the United States, Native Americans experience consequences of food insecurity such as the spread of communicable infections, diabetes, and obesity. For instance, previous studies revealed that approximately 42 percent of adults in Native Americans are experiencing obesity while the number is about 30 percent among the Whites (Akanbiemu, 2018, p. Moreover, an estimation of 23 percent of Native Americans has diabetes compared to about 10 percent of the Whites. Since the two communities (Native Americans and Whites) have access to unhealthy and healthy foods respectively, they must show such disparities. Despite many of the environmentally responsible policies attributed to the Environmental Justice Movement, most of the Native Americans still experience a disproportionate burden of ill health due to food insecurity.

The geographical location of Native Americans is efficient for agricultural productions, business activities and industrial growth. Therefore, the problem of food insecurity should never be a problem among the Native Americans. Health Statistics of Native Americans Food insecurity among Native Americans has been brought by the effects of rapid population growth. Native Americans have been struggling to eradicate the health problems caused by food Insecurity. The author investigated the effects of food insecurity among the Native Americans and found out that the fertility rate in the cities is either below or at the replacement level. Native Americans have been struggling to enhance access to childhood vaccination, postnatal and delivery care. On the other hand, children from slum areas possess poorer nutritional habits than the counterparts thus; about 25 percent of children are underweight while.

Widespread of Anaemia is approximately between 50 and 70 percent among the children with a majority of the affected children coming from the slum areas ("Food insecurity: Concepts, measurement, and causes," 2015, p. Similarly, the highest percentage of thin adults is from slum areas. Even though obesity and overweight are prevalent in the areas occupied by Native Americans, most of the affected adults are from the slum areas. Native Americans from low-income earning families have been deprived access to quality housing, education on needs for healthy living standards and access to the healthy eating environment. Therefore, through the government aids, Native Americans have been developing housing facilities and promoting healthy feeding. Similarly, most of the poor Native Americans are subjected to harmful life conditions especially during pregnancy because of stress due to poverty.

Even though Native Americans had been facing economic instabilities, the government introduced industrial reforms in 1991 that has significantly contributed to economic growth of the nation at the rate of 5 percent per annum in 2014, higher than 4. 4 percent in 2013. Effects of food insecurity include spread of infections such cardiovascular diseases, obesity, underweight, food deficiency diseases and fatal conditions during pregnancy as a result of stress. Poor people cannot afford quality healthcare, healthy feeding and access to healthy housing environment (Sassi, 2018, p. Culture also affects peoples’ health through either accepting or rejecting modern family planning techniques, cultural views on high population and cultural eating habits. Moreover, most of the Native Americans who reside in slums do not use permanent and modern methods of family planning thus; rapid population growth occurs in such areas.