Obesity

Obesity and how it affects our body

Obesity, what is it? How does it affect you?
Obesity is the increase of fat tissue, meaning, the body will begin to increase its weight due if we over eat, and consume unhealthy products. If the persons eating habits are not properly managed, it can cause serious health issues.

Research 

Obesity can very well come from anyone who doesn't take care of their food habits. However, the article, "evolutionary considerations on social status, eating behavior, and obesity", states that there's a higher chance for obesity in low social economic status (SES) people, and living in the United States.
Reasons:
1. Poorer food environment (non-healthy foods)

2. Financial cost of healthy foods

3. Advertisements (affordable food)

4. Adjusted to fast foods

Obesity is commonly know for over consuming excessive greasy foods, however, research shows there are other factors to obesity. There are three factors that influence obesity.

3 factors

1. Genetics: People who are affected with obesity due to having one or two obese parents. If both of the child's parents is obese, the likelihood of them transferring that heredity, increases by 25 percent.

2. Metabolic: How fast or slow your food is processed. If it's fast, your chances of gaining weight are less; yet still there. If it's slow, chances are there's an increase in gaining weight. None of our bodies are equal, however it still has a toll and effect with what we consume. 

3. Lifestyle: OVEREATING!  it affects our bodies. If your lifestyle is consuming, "sugary, high-fat, refined foods, chances are you'll gain weight." Here we have two options. We are our own critiques. We can change for the better or we can keep consuming foods that do us danger. 

Personal effect 

This social issue personally affects me because I have recently reached a point where I feel obese. I have never been the type of person who gains excessive weight because I try to stay fit. However, ever since high school I have focused my mind more on my future that it seems impossible to focus on my weight. Therefore, I chose the lifestyle to eat anything I enjoy or have time for even if it meant gaining weight and giving me symptoms like tired, or sad. I have been consuming a lot of unhealthy foods and it has began challenge my body. Typically, I have always ate a lot, however, I no longer exercise, therefore, my body is consuming various calories a day. Loosing weight isn't as easy as it sounds, due to also living in the Unites States, and coming from a low SES family/neighborhood. Organic foods can be pricy and money is tough at times so I end up buying unhealthy food because it's cheaper, it's closer to my house, and I end up saving money. Within a few months, I no longer fitted into my clothing, I no longer feel healthy, and I began anaylzing how I possible came this far and did nothing with this issue. Having nearby foods in my city, like McDonalds, king taco, wing stop, etc, has become the main problem. When things are nearby, it's hard to give up foods that my body has adjusted to.

Why did I chose this issue?
This issue is very important to me because I am affected by it, I see it a lot in my community, and I want people to understand that this industry doesn't care about our health, rather affect our health; especially SES people like me. We come from a low economic family who has a greater chance of health risks since there's many cheap foods near me and not enough health care access.
As someone who has always taken care of her weight, I also chose this issue because recently my city has been adding new fast foods, and it has taken a toll on how we the people react to it. Not only have I noticed the changes in my body but also the people around my city who I keep in touch with.

What can we do to prevent or stop this issue?
↬ prevent eating unhealthy foods at night (harder to burn calories since you will soon sleep)
↬eat three times a day
↬get out and exercise

      Interview Evidence

Question: Do you believe you are affected by this social issue? why so? Is there anything new with what you consume?

Answers

"I can say I am affected, simply because I am a food lover. Whenever I am hungry I don't typically analyze what I consume even though I know it is unhealthy. There are a lot of nearby fast food places that I consume from; one of them being "El Indio", where I usually get burritos. I do noticed an increase with my weight, but I typically bike to work, so I try to balance it off. I don't think I'm going to stop eating some of my favorite foods because I like them, but I do try to get exercise once in a while." -Luis Antonio R.

Before ✓After ✗

                     

↹

"I am definitely affected by this social issue because here in Maywood, there is a lot of unhealthy foods that are very close to my home. I don't really need a car to be able to reach to a fast food place because it is so close. I have gained a lot of weight since I moved here about a year ago. My eating habits have had an effect on my body and loosing weight is very hard."

-Martha C.

Before✓After ✗

References

Appetite. (2019). Evolutionary Considerations on Social Status, Eating Behavior, and Obesity,132(2019), 1-11. doi:https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2018.07.028


Care, S. H. (n.d.). Obesity Causes. Retrieved March 5, 2019, from https://stanfordhealthcare.org/medical-conditions/healthy-living/obesity/causes.html

Gentrification in Los Angeles

Gentrification in Los Angeles: 

Fostering an Environment for Displacement and Homelessness 

"Alter for the Displaced" at Espacio 1839, a public art center in Boyle Heights ( Photo Credit: Monica Almeida, The New York Times)

One of my fondest memories of my childhood takes place in my neighborhood within the Northeast of Los Angeles. Hot, summer days at the Glassell Park Recreation Center were made sweeter with my favorite Tweety Bird popsicle from the paletero who cheerfully rang the familiar bell to announce his presence. If you were hungry, there were bacon-wrapped hot dogs and tamarindo raspados to satisfy the cravings. 


The Northeast of Los Angeles has experienced an accelerated change in recent years. I see the community creating new businesses but these new businesses are not created with the existing residents in mind. This transformation inspired this action project to understand the phenomenon of gentrification and how other local residents felt about the changing dynamics in the area.

The objective of this blog post is to create awareness on the impact that gentrification has at the community level and on an individual basis. 


At the community level, gentrification has led to an increase in homelessness from the displacement of low-income households in Los Angeles. My personal experience and regional context of the information presented is focused on the Highland Park area in Northeast  Los Angeles and Boyle Heights in East Los Angeles. On an individual level, this blog will share the voice of a community member also impacted by the gentrification of their neighborhood. 

Defining Gentrification 

York Blvd, Highland Park. Photo Credit: Alexander Spit

Income and wealth disparity has reshaped the urban landscapes in the large metropolitan cities of the United States. Governmental policies, economic inequality, and a change in locational preferences have accelerated the population change within these cities. 

By definition, gentrification is the "process of reinvesting into deteriorating, urban areas accompanied by the influx of middle-class and upper-middle-class people that often results in the displacement of earlier, typically poorer residents"(Merriam-Webster, 2019). Urban Displacement Project, conducted by UC Berkeley in conjunction with UCLA, and Portland State University, identify indicators of a disadvantaged neighborhood that the census considers eligible or susceptible to gentrification. The bulk of the criteria is delegated between socioeconomic factors and are compared to the regional median. These factors include the percentage of low-income households, members with a college education, members who rent their housing, and those who are nonwhite. 

A neighborhood is considered gentrified once it meets another similar set of criteria that documents the change in the previous socioeconomic factors. For example, two of the four criteria consider the change in median gross rent and change in median household income. This project has indicated that Los Angeles has seen a 16% increase in the number of gentrified neighborhoods between 1990-2015 (Zuk and Chapple, 2015). 

These neighborhoods tend to be concentrated among the public transit stations in a push by policymakers to revitalize the area. This transit-orientated housing development results in upscale, luxury housing to attract middle-class professionals. While this can increase tax revenues for the city from higher property values, it compounds the need for affordable housing in these cities that have been historically inhabited by those who could not afford other areas of Los Angeles.

While the cost of living is rising, the job market in areas like Highland Park and Boyle Heights is stagnating. Projects, like a new sports stadium, create low-wage jobs that force residents out of their own neighborhoods. This creates pockets of poverty such as Skid Row in Downtown Los Angeles which contain an estimated 2,521 homeless persons within a 0.4 square mile (LA Chamber of Commerce, 2015). Los Angeles County has seen a median rent increase of 25% with a 9% decline in income during the same period (Bergman and Keller). These statistics quantify the failure at addressing issues attributable to the socioeconomic disparities between the city's residents. 

Photo Credit: KCET,
"Families Make a Living Precariously through Street Vending"

Homelessness in Los Angeles 

There are variations about how homelessness is defined. Generally, homelessness can be defined as an individual who lacks stable and adequate nighttime residence. This includes those living in temporary living facilities (National Health Care for the Homeless Council, 2019). Causes of homelessness are multifaceted but share common factors. In a publication from YaleGlobal Online, Joseph Chamie, former director of the United Nations Population Division summarizes the factors such as shortages in affordable housing, investment speculation in housing, unplanned and rapid urbanization, poverty, unemployment, mental illness and substance abuse (Chamie, 2019).

In the U.S., the cost to buy or rent housing is disproportionately higher than wages. The National Low-Income Housing Coalition documents the gap between wages and the cost of rental housing across the country. It uses an estimate of the hourly wage a full-time employee ( 40 hours) must earn to afford a rental home at fair market rent without spending more than 30% of their income on housing costs. 

For 2018, California residents would need an hourly wage of $32.68 to afford a two-bedroom rental home. At the current minimum wage, it would take 119 hours per week to afford the same two-bedroom home. These situations often lead to unsafe living arrangements like slums, squatter settlements and homelessness (Chamie, 2019). To conclude, urban gentrification leads to rising property values and rental rates that further marginalize low-income households. 

Northeast Native

Robert Infante, Glassell Park Resident

" Glassell Park has seen a heavier police presence in the recent years. Small infractions are more frequently getting tickets. We used to be able to have family parties in the house but now the police are getting called on and receiving fines. There are also new street parking laws that criminalize and target people who sleep in their RV's at night. Glassell Park is my home and gentrification has not helped with any of the issues that are in the community now. "

Concluding Thoughts

Protester at the opening of a new coffee shop in Boyle Heights.
Photo Credit: LA Weekly

Highland Park's bubbling popularity is not hard to understand. The food and art scene is thriving. With close proximity to other major cities like Downtown Los Angeles or Pasadena, the Northeast has a unique mix of generational and cultural influences. 

My goal for the Northeast Los Angeles would be a healthy balance between businesses that cater to residents and those geared towards visitors. This balance can relieve some of the tension existing now towards the gentrifiers and the gentrified. Equitable distribution of resources, like increasing financial literacy and incentives for business owners, can help meet the city's objectives to increase revenue and make a positive experience for those of various income levels.

Agustin Garcia

            A very crucial social issue that affects my community is gang affiliation. I have never been involved in a gang personally, but I do understand the problems it causes for the community. From having friends who have been killed from gang related issues, to having my uncle shot for being misidentified, to having my Nina lose a cousin and brother due to being at the wrong place at the wrong time. It does not only affect those involved in gangs, but it affects families and friends and puts the community in danger.

Why People Join Gangs

            There are many reasons why youths or young adults join gangs. The main reasons is giving the person the sense of identity or belonging. It allows a person to achieve a level of status that makes them feel like they are needed and loved. Being in a gang also gives the feeling of protection. In case of any attack or any type of retaliation, there is that support of having each others back. Having that feeling of protection embraces that brotherhood. Many cases of people who join gangs feel like they have no one left, as in family, so having that brotherhood makes whom ever feel loved. It serves as intimidation as well, which leads to criminal activity. It is a choice to join a gang, but many people think mentally that is all that is left for them to do.

Research

• Over the past decade, annual estimates of the number of gangs have averaged around 27,000 nationally.
• Following a yearly decline from 1996 to a low in 2003, annual estimates steadily increased through 2012
• The most recent estimate of more than 30,000 gangs represents a 15 percent increase from 2006 and is the highest annual estimate since 1996.

My Personal Experiences

           I started playing sports at a local park in my community when I was five years old. I grew up at that park and it was my second home, as a group of guys I grew up playing with were always there and considered friends. I never really thought about it at the time but I would soon figure out why they were always there. Throughout high school, I would always be at the park because my favorite thing to was be involved in basketball and baseball leagues they had throughout the year. I even had done my community service hours there. Same group of guys I grew up playing sports with were always there just hanging out and were also involved in the basketball leagues. It wasn't until I was around 17 or 18 years old where I finally noticed the group of guys (friends) were literally always there. One day, I was just playing some basketball with them, until this different group of guys rolled up on us and a group of my friends without saying a word just walked over to the other group and started fighting. I have never seen anything like that at the time, where nothing was said to straight up fighting like what happened. As the years went on, I was showing up to the park less and less, but it seemed like every time I showed up there was always a fight. Another day months later, I showed up balling up with the same group of friends as before and now a completely different group of guys kept taunting my friends I was balling up with and it got to the point where fighting just broke out. This time though, my friends were set up and the other gang had bricks. I am just watching in shock as one of my friends runs away with a very bloody face. I saw one of my good friends who isn't involved in gangs go and try to help but was being jumped by 4 guys. It is just bad at this point as I am scared for my friends to be getting into fights and putting their lives in danger. That is exactly what ends up happening soon afterwards. One of nicest guys I know who was involved in the gang, was killed outside of the park. It is so hard to believe, he was a couple years younger than I was at the time and I was in complete shock especially since I had just saw him on the bus a couple days before catching up and being cool with each other. The thing that makes this very difficult to go through as a friend, is seeing his family and friends in so much pain. That is why I think it affects the whole community because its lives that are at risk, and when something unfortunate like that happens it only hurts those involved.

               Another story I have relating to gang affiliation is with my uncle. It was about a year or two ago the day before easter. I was home with my family when my dad receives a call at night from my uncles girlfriend saying my uncle has just gotten shot. The first thing we all think of is death. Luckily, my uncle survived the shot wound and has made a full recovery. It was a grueling healing process though that was hard for my uncle though. My uncle has no history of ever being involved in any kind of gang activity, he is actually a nice guy as well and I like to describe him like he wouldn't hurt a fly. To get to the point, my uncle was misidentified by a gang. He had a similar car to the guy they were looking for and that was all the gang went off of. What makes matters worse was my uncle of loading his two daughters into the car which had put their lives in danger. My uncle says he remembers seeing a car just staring at him but he wasn't sure what was going through their heads. The car just rolls up and shoots a handgun I believe, landing a shot on the back side of my uncle. The last thing my uncle remembers is getting up and going inside the house where he lost consciousness. My uncle was an innocent person who was at the wrong place at the wrong time, everyone is just thankful he made it out alive. It is still scary to think how that could be anyone, where lives are in danger and at risk even if you aren't involved.

Why it is Important

             Gang affiliation is a social issue that affects the community in many ways. Just from experiences alone have had a traumatic effect on a wide range of range. My personal understanding of civic engagement has changed in a way where I understand how much effort goes into doing research and actually making that effort to understanding the community and where they stand. Before I knew what civic engagement was, I just thought it was a lot simpler. I thought it was easy, but that is not the case. There is a lot of work and passion behind the process.  I was not surprised by how many people were affected by this problem of gang affiliation. It isn’t necessarily people being involved in gangs; it is more of how much disruption gangs have in the community. Disruption may be an understatement, because lives are affected and sometimes unfortunately are taken away too early. I had no problems going into my community and asking people about this social issue. I grew up with many friends who are involved in gang activity, and some have made the change for the better while some have not. I also have had plenty of my family who has had issues with this social issue, so talking to enough people was not a problem for me. I did receive feedback that was surprising to me. There were plenty of feedback that was helpful, but the one piece of feedback that stood out to me was taking into consideration of the reason why people are involved in gangs in the first place. These kids grow up in homes where violence and abuse were not out of the ordinary. I feel like most people think that these people who choose to be in gangs do not realize the affect they have as kids growing up. Of not feeling wanted and visually seeing that behavior growing up thinking it is normal. Overall, they are psychologically affected.  That information did not occur to me and I have some kind of understanding from hearing that. I wouldn’t change anything, I really learned a lot and it taught me a lot on the effect of gang affiliation. I feel as like I had a successful presentation because I got so much out of this and I have that passion hoping it spreads to my audience. I do feel like my community will be affected because they already have. My friends and family I know are affected as I have had friends killed, my uncle was shot, and my Nina’s brother and cousin killed. Gang affiliation affects everyone not even involved in gangs. My uncle was misidentified, my friends were younger than I am and lost their lives. It is a problem and my friend who used to be in a gang knows that and is volunteering his time to help youth learn that there is so much more than gang banging and that’s the truth.

"The community feels more on edge and it shouldn't be like that"
                                                         -Justin Garcia

"Gang violence is unnecessary and harms innocent people"
                                                        -Stacey Garcia

"We have to see the perspective of those who are in gangs, it must have been influenced where their childhood was not lead with proper guidance."
                                                        -Virginia Franco

     

Edison Correa - Costs of Rent in Los Angeles

Civic Engagement Project ART 3170 Social Issue Project

Problem Definition: Rent Costs in Los Angeles

Research

According to the article called “Rising Rent Burden in Los Angeles” by Megan Goulding, owning a home in Southern California used to represent the realization of the California Dream. Los Angeles is now one of the most populated rental market. It has now built 10.000 new high-end units in Downtown LA, but they aren’t affordable for an average renter that has to deal with increases of rental costs in the past few years.

According to the data, in 2013, “Los Angeles was the most rent-burdened city in the entire nation”, 62% of the people were spending more than 30% of their household income on rent every month. This makes it difficult to find an affordable place for renters, with the median apartment rent being one of the highest in the nation at $2,483.

This is even worse for the very low-income people, they were spending more than 50% of their household income in rent. The percentage of these rent-burdened people in the lowest 20% of the income distribution went up from 53.6% to 77.8% since the 70’s. By having to pay high amounts of rent, their income is not enough to support their expenses on a monthly basis on things such as transportation, groceries, healthcare, and childcare.

Currently in a new 2019 report from the “Apartment List”, the median rent price for a single-bedroom apartment was $1360 during January, and two-bedroom one was $1750. With the current date, it still shows that Los Angeles renters still pay a lot of their income toward the cost of housing, in fact more than $40 billion was spent on rent in 2018, and half of the residents of this area still spent more than 30$ of their household income on rent, making it hard to afford basic necessities.

Sources:

https://usc.data.socrata.com/stories/s/Rising-Rent-Burden-in-Los-Angeles/4wjy-s7d9/

https://la.curbed.com/2019/2/4/18210857/los-angeles-rental-prices-2019-average

Personal

This issue affects not only me but our community, as the data shows, it just too much money going toward rent, and we experience this in my household. Like many other students, I still live with my family, and it’s a bit crazy to think that at one point in the future, being able to afford buying your own home will be very difficult, you virtually can’t save up any money. But more than that just basically living your everyday life, it seems like almost half of your money goes to rent, and the rest of it goes to basic necessities, I’m not saying you’re not having a decent life, but it’s a very restricted one for now, and without the financial support of your family, you wouldn’t be able save up for your own future. 

    

Gathering Evidence

Christophoros Zoumis 

“The cost of living in Los Angeles comes at a high price. As a student myself living a minimum wage job, it’s really difficult to pay all my bills and still have enough to pay my rent. After paying my rent I have less than $300 to myself, and that’s supposed to last me the rest of the month. I live check to check and it’s a stressful way to live. Last month I had a medical emergency and borrowed money to keep up with the rent I pay monthly. God forbid another unforeseen circumstance occurs, or I might end up living in the streets.”

Kevin Chimil

“It affects me dearly, because I ain’t trying to pay over two thousand for a one room apartment. Might as well move to Mexico and take over.”

Aristorelis Zoumis

“The rent here in Los Angeles is getting out of hand. Before we had large communities of people in mid-city LA who could afford to live in Los Angeles. Within the last 5 years, gentrified have moved into the neighborhood driving up the prices. Land lords kick out people in an effort to make a profit. Quickly communities are being pushed out for hipsters and coffee shops. This has to stop.”

Bullying

Major Issue

When it comes time to sending your little one to school, parents fear the fact that they might get bullied. Parents are used to being with their kids since they were little that when it comes time to send them to school, it hurts them a little to leave them with a stranger for a couple of hours, and then adding the fact that they can get bullied makes it even more scarier for a parent. Bullying is everywhere. Not only little kids get affected by it, but adults also can get bullied. There has been cases everywhere of kids getting bullied in school and sometimes even at their own home by their siblings. But things can change. Knowing to read the signs and knowing how someone can prevent it can make a big difference.



Research

Bullying is unwanted, aggressive behavior among school aged children that involves a real or perceived power imbalanced ("Warning Signs for Bullying", 2019). It said that for it to be considered bullying the behavior must be aggressive and include: 
1. An imbalance of Power 
 2. Repetition

An imbalanced of power is when kids who bully use their power to control or harm others. The power imbalances can change over time and in different situations even if it involves the same person. When it comes to repetition it is talking about behaviors that happen more than once. If something happens only one time then it is not considered bullying. 



What is considered bullying?

• making threats
• spreading rumors
• attacking someone physically or verbally
• excluding someone from a group on purpose

There are 3 types of bullying

1.   Verbal bullying
• teasing
• name calling
• threat making 
2.   Social bullying
• leaving someone out on purpose
• spreading rumors about someone
3.   Physical bullying
• hitting/ kicking
• spitting
• pushing

Statistics

• The 2017 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System indicates that, nationwide, 19% of students in grades 9-12 report being bullied on school property.
• The 2015 School Crime Supplement indicates that about 21% of students age 12-18 experienced bullying.
• Six out of 10 teenagers say they witness bullying in school once a day.
• 64% of children who were bullied did not report it.
• Nearly 70% of students think schools respond poorly to bullying.
• An estimate of 160,000 US children miss school every day due to fear of attack or intimidation by other students. 
• When bystanders intervene, bullying stops within 10 seconds 57% of the time.

Why is it Important?

I am a mother of a 3 year old boy. My son is very friendly and makes new friends every where we go. But sometimes when we are at the park, there are few little kids that think they own the playground. They don't let kids play with certain things in the playground, or when kids take their own toys to play with the sand, they try and take them away from the other kids and take control of the toys. They don't like to share. Then it gets me thinking, if this is how they act in public when there is a parent around, how would they act at school when they are with lots of other kids with not enough toys for everyone to play with at the same time and there is only one adult there with them. I've heard of parents taking their kids to school since the age of three or even as small as three years old. I think the other way around. In my opinion that is too early for a kid to go to school. I always think, they are going to go to school for about 15 years why start them so young. I prefer them living their freedom as a child, and of course I get to enjoy them a little longer also. I chose the social issue of bullying because since my son is going to preschool next year, I wanted to learn more about this issue. I have seen news reporting of situations of school that go the wrong direction all because of bullying. I believe that if people knew the signs and understand what exactly is considered bullying, kids would not have to go through that let down. It affects their self- esteem and confidence in themselves. Education starts in the home but schools can also do their part. I went directly to high school students to ask their opinion in how they think a change can be done. With a little help of everyone, bullying can go away.

LET THEIR VOICES BE HEARD!!!

"One thing that can help get rid of bullies at school is speaking up and not being afraid to stand up for yourself" 

-Wendy

"Not being afraid to defend yourself and talk to adults you trust and just speak up in general"

-Ashley

"If you speak up for those who are getting bullied it can help but there should also be serious consequences for those who bully"

-Mikaela

"You can get rid of bullying by becoming friends with people who seem like they don't have friends also when you see someone getting bullied, you can help out"

-Beverly

"If the teachers and administrators would actually get involved and be worried about the kids. Also teachers need to stop choosing kids for their differences because that gives other kids the freedom to pick on others since they see the teacher"

-Jocelyn

Sources

Statistics and Laws - Riverside Medical Clinic Charitable Foundation. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.rmccharity.org/bullying-prevention-institute/resources/facts-and-laws/#.Wn3lv66nGpo

Warning Signs for Bullying. (2019). Retrieved from https://www.stopbullying.gov/at-risk/warning-signs/index.html