Poverty: Hunger and Health

Hunger is a feeling that usually we felt if our body need food to eat in order to recharge our energy. Hunger in scientific is it control of our part of brain called thalamus which is it stimulated our body to feel hungry whenever we need it. In dictionary, describes that hunger is the painful sensation or weakness caused by need of food. Which it will make some of people become irritable, shaky, or disoriented if they are not fed at their usual mealtime. Hunger issues are causes by many factor, we can categorize it as two which is environmental and physiological causes. For environmental issue, hunger can also define as social events. For example poor environment, emotional states which include stress, being near food or scheduling meals or forget his last time meals. The second categorize that causes hunger is physiological, which this categorized as hunger need for energy which is we need to take more energy for body to work well, having imbalance hormone, genetic causes and biological damage which is damage part of our body that regulate hunger. The statistics show that almost 11.3% in our world today are hungry.

Poverty is of the cause of hunger. This causes of hunger is related to poverty which include of poor people's are lack of resources and extremely unequal income distribution and hunger itself. This poverty issues is the severe lack of certain possession which is it reduce the quality of the person's life. This group of people is struggling to complete their basic need including having limited foods, clothing, health care, education, shelter and safety. This can be affected by nation's lack of social, political issues environment support by legislation, a corrupt government, poor judicial system or material income and availability of resource is limited. For example a country which is the most poverty that had been world recorded due having the lowest GDP in world is Central African Republic with $636. The main point is the political violence shattered their already volatile economy

Health issue is occur when normal metabolism in our body failed function or altered due to another health problem which is considered as disease. There are many causes of health issues which could be inheriting the disease causing gens from their parents. For example the one of the most common inherit genes from their family are thalassemia, cancer, heart disease, and diabetes. Next is health issues including from lifestyle. Our lifestyle is from our everyday habits, behavior and functions in our jobs, activities, fun and diet itself. This health issues had diagnosed and effective treatment to the patient depending on his needs of metabolism to return back to normal. A research found that people living in or near poverty have disproportionately worse health outcomes and less access to health care than those who do not.

Although it is the different issues, it is actually have the relation that we are actually relies in our world right now. Hunger, poverty and health are linked. Not every poor person is hungry, but almost all hungry people are poor and at the end effecting their health. This extremely poverty is interacts with our health and undermines the whole range of our capabilities, possibilities and the opportunities. Where there are many of evidence and prove from all parts of the word which support the link between poverty, hunger and health.

Nowadays many hungry people trapped in the poverty and they are lack of money or even physically well-being to buy and grow food themselves. This situations lead to malnutrition and hunger and absolutely this issues will become more serious when it effecting their health or other life-threatening conditions. In Africa is the continent with the largest number of people living in extremely poverty which is almost 383 million and almost 66 million primary school age people attend their classes with the feeling of hungry. This is the example of poor health and hunger children lead to poor school performance and later they will have the inability to focus in class and because of hungry it will give effect to their health. It is poor for children to study and find good work and then it hard for them to support their next family. Thus, downward spiral will maintain continue the poverty to their next generation. The other example is Asia the continent and also the second extreme poverty with the 327 Million people. This can be seen at the Southern Asia facing the greatest hunger burden with about 281 undernourished people and also leads effects in their health.

This poverty, hunger and health issue gives big effects not only for individual itself but also for all surrounding and society. Firstly, in aspect of poverty itself, education is one of the effects that clearly occur because of the people living in poverty life they are having the limited excess to education purpose. When the level of education low, this make them impossible to find job with a wages that allow them to improve their life or even can be jobless. For example, children of poverty face economic segregation which they lack of technology, lack of supplies, proper clothing, and simply lack of support. Second, the most affected by the poverty is children. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), in 2013, there are 6.3 million children died before they celebrated their fifth birthday. Means around 45% of these children, which is nearly 3 million, succumbed to malnutrition. When the poverty is the main cause of the health, it show that the poor not being able to afford falling sick but there are no access of sanitation, drinking water and also eat healthy and safe foods, disease inevitably find their way to them which on average poor people have short time expectancy.

Next effect of hunger is malnutrition. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), almost 462 million people worldwide are malnourished. Malnutrition during childhood can bring to the effect of long term health problem. It is not only affects children under two but also other young children who less than 5 years old, adolescents, pregnancy and lactating mothers, the adult or even chronically ills. For example a women's nutrition intake impact her health during pregnancy, and can cause illness of serious health issues to her baby and herself. The serious maternal malnutrition increase the risk such as obstructed labour, premature or low birth weight babies and postpartum hemorrhage is linked to increased mortality at labour. This issue is lead to severe anemia during pregnancy increasing the risk of maternal mortality.

Last effect in health aspect is economy impact to society. Economy impact to society can be seen when the health of the citizen or society is poor due the disease of health. For example the leprosy is the disease which is it leading cause of permanent disability in the world and predominantly affects poor marginalized people. Although it is not fatal, the chronic symptoms happen in that individual and in their most productive stage of life. Therefore it impose a significant social which increase the economic burden to society. Thus imposes a heavy social burden upon affected individuals and their families. Patients are often shunned, stigmatized, isolated and sometimes displaced from their work, marriage and social set-up, needing care of themselves and the financial support leading to further insecurity, shame, and consequent economic loss.

We as the human need to take part in order to help people around the world who need to overcome all of this issue. In order to reduce the poverty, government should take the role with strengthen the rule and regulation and providing with access to the basic social services, infrastructures to improve the education among the poverty area. For example, government should create new regulation for all children who above than 17 years old must go to school. But if they not participant, government should take another action. Then, the government should provide the competent and caring teachers to facilitate and improve the teaching also learning to build the good manner among the children. In addition, government must provide the rural infrastructure and all amenities that can facilitate learning. For example, provide good technology, full of supply for study or even support their needs. It is to make sure all of the students have more interest and more comfortable to learn in school. This is because the children or adult all around the world should have awareness about the important of education in their life and for their future. Education is the main point and the solution that needed to improve their quality of living. Education also makes a significant difference for adults, particularly when it applies to day-to-day life, including nutrition, healthcare and gender equity.

Next roles is the role that can be done and afford by society is through charitable donation. As human being, we can donate what we afford in order to help people that are not lucky, even the small donation giving huge impact for them who need it. There are many ways for us as society to donate such as food, money, kits and time. Time also is more than precious and valuable as donating all goods or money which they know that all around the world is supporting them. Volunteer opportunities are abounded in the community, whether we want an ongoing commitment or one-time opportunity. . We as society also can find specific organization that work to fight poverty, hunger and health such as in Malaysia, Hospital Beyond Boundaries, WWF, SOLS 24/7, in international organization such as OXFAM, UNICEF, CARE and many NGO's organization where we can contribute volunteering to help them who need it. These all donation to local and global organizations are incredibly important. Beside, many of these organizations actually rely on this donation to survive to do the community services.

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