Exposure of embryos and fetuses to undernutrition predisposes the future adults to obesity and metabolic disease.

Exposure of embryos and fetuses to undernutrition predisposes the future adults to obesity and metabolic disease. In chapters and presentations related to ethnic and socioeconomic differences and how they relate to health, we have learned that one of the very-worst risk factors for experiencing poor health is being poor.  Hopefully, life and your college education has exposed you to the reality that everyone does not have the same opportunities to build wealth and elevate themselves out of poverty.  Based on what you’ve learned about the economic costs of obesity and metabolism-related issues, please consider and compare, 1) the costs (dollar amounts) associated with the life of poor health caused to an individual because his/her/their mother didn’t have enough good nutrition, and 2) the cost of feeding all hungry (or “fed” but malnourished) mothers.  Please include references for your information.  These estimates are easy to find.

Also, regardless which form of public spending you feel is best (paying for good health or paying to fix bad health), is there a societal cost associated with letting people be miserable if we have the resources to help them?

1. Is it cheaper to not feed malnourished parents or to pay for the lifetime poor health of their babies?

2. Is it bad for a society to choose to let people be miserable when resources exist to help them and when it may be cheaper to help them than let them be miserable?

3. What message does it send poor people with diminished ability to help themselves, when they know that the broader populous wishes to not help them even though the resources for helping them exist?