Due to the additional risk factors associated with poverty, food insecure and low-income people are especially vulnerable to obesity (see the section on the Relationship Between Hunger and Overweight or Obesity and the section on the Relationship Between Poverty and Overweight or Obesity). More specifically, obesity among food insecure people – as well as among low-income people – occurs in part because they are subject to the same influences as other Americans (e.g., more sedentary lifestyles, increased portion sizes), but also because they face unique challenges in adopting healthful behaviors, as described below. (For more information on the influences all Americans face, see the section on Factors Contributing to Overweight and Obesity.)

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Excerpt:

Feeding America member food banks have increasingly reported that many clients are no longer coming to their pantries only for short-term, emergency situations. Food assistance has become a staple for many people – those that need the extra help to make it through the month on a more consistent basis. This report, for the first time, confirms anecdotal reports from food banks by examining the reported patterns of service utilization from 61,000 client interviews nationwide captured in the 2010 Hunger in America study. 

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