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Time-Starved Working Parents Eat Poorly: Study

Low-income work schedules make healthy eating difficult

By Nick McMaster,  Newser Staff

Posted Sep 10, 2009 2:59 PM CDT

(Newser) – The nature of low-income employment promotes unhealthy eating, Time reports. Over half of working parents in low-to-moderate income communities relied on dietary “coping” measures when their schedules couldn’t accommodate a full meal, according to a new Cornell University study. Those strategies included skipping breakfast or family meals, and ordering takeout or heating up packaged meals.

“Often our jobs don't allow us to eat together at home as often as we'd like," said the lead researcher. "This is more common than we expected, and it's not just fast food. We are not going to fix the obesity epidemic simply by telling people to eat well. This study is telling us that it is the structure of our lives that makes it very difficult to do what doctors recommend."

Work makes it hard for parents to meet family meals, a new study found.
Work makes it hard for parents to meet family meals, a new study found.   (Shutterstock)
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COMMENTS
Showing 3 of 6 comments
Toon
Sep 11, 2009 2:35 AM CDT
Great idea! Let's start with health care reform , that should reduce the need to work a second to pay for health care. And let's up the minimum wage to a living wage so families can afford healthier food and perhaps even return to single paycheck families.
Robert_Dada
Sep 10, 2009 8:38 AM CDT
Because they are insufferable hypocrites. I'd hate them far less if they truly admitted what their true values are. At least their hypocrisy erodes any credibility they can manage to furnish for themselves.
odowd80
Sep 10, 2009 8:21 AM CDT
I love the compassion that emanates from "family values" conservatives. Their response to any story like this is "fuck poor people."

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