CHAPTER 11

Food, Food Insecurity, Obesity, and Nutrition

Multiple Choice Questions

1. ________ is defined as the inability to access at all times the nutrients needed for a healthy and active life.
   1. Dietary poverty
   2. Nourishment poverty
   3. Food insecurity
   4. Nutritional insecurity
2. In Canada, obesity ________.
   1. follows the familiar health gradient for women, but not for men
   2. follows the familiar health gradient for men, but not for women
   3. follows the familiar health gradient for both men and women
   4. does not follow the familiar health gradient
3. From the materialist perspective, the major factor that contributes to food insecurity among Indigenous people is ________.
   1. lack of education about proper food choices
   2. lack of knowledge about food preparation
   3. cultural tradition of eating high-fat foods
   4. high food prices
4. The following is NOT one of the major causes cited for the rising rates of obesity: ________.
   1. increased availability of cheap, readily accessible, energy dense processed foods
   2. changes in eating practices and norms
   3. people became more greedy and irresponsible
   4. eating in restaurants became more common
5. The following statement regarding obesity is FALSE: ________.
   1. People who experience food insecurity are more likely to become obese
   2. Less educated people are more likely to become obese
   3. People with less income are more likely to become obese
   4. Obesity follows the health gradient for men but not for women
6. In Canada, food banks ________.
   1. have been criticized by some as ineffective solution that does not address the real problem
   2. are used mainly by homeless people
   3. are used mainly by people who do not need to use them
   4. were introduced 20 years ago as a long-term solution for food insecurity
7. In Canada, ________ experience particularly severe food insecurity.
   1. Indigenous people
   2. immigrants in Ontario
   3. immigrants in British Columbia
   4. men
8. The answer to better nutrition among Canadians is in ________.
   1. greater diet diversity
   2. more red meat
   3. more vitamins
   4. more food supplements
9. Coca-Cola’s support of world-wide sport events can be used an example of ________.
   1. lack of sponsors for even such big events as Olympic Games
   2. the proactive approach used by large corporations to dissuade law makers from placing regulations on the food and beverage industry
   3. good corporate citizenship
   4. athletes’ need for corporate financial support
10. Food product labelling is ________.
    1. an effective tool to educate people about healthy eating
    2. more confusing when it uses a colour-code system, such as the one used in Australia
    3. largely ineffective
    4. counterproductive and, in fact, leads to more obesity and overeating
11. The “fat tax” is ________.
    1. a tax paid by overweight and obese individuals who use health care services
    2. a highly effective form of government regulation on food industry
    3. a tax paid by food companies that produce unhealthy foods
    4. a tax placed on food with relatively high fat content
12. The most effective approach to improving the dietary choices of the Canadian population is ________.
    1. improving the food labelling system
    2. addressing it at the local level, such as banning soft drinks in schools
    3. enhancing the information flow to the population about nutrition and calorie content
    4. more closely regulating the food industry
13. In general, Canadians ________.
    1. have healthy and balanced diets
    2. are under-nourished
    3. have unbalanced diet that is too high in meat, saturated fats, and sugar
    4. take too few vitamins and supplements
14. Availability, affordability, and quality of food are ________
    1. not very important determinants of a population’s health
    2. not a problem for affluent countries, but have significant implications for the poorer parts of the world
    3. described by the Preston curve
    4. major determinants of health, interacting with income, education, and place of residence
15. In general, more affluent people _________
    1. eat more because they can purchase more
    2. eat a more diverse, nutritionally sound diet than poorer people
    3. have higher rates of obesity than poorer people
    4. eat only organic food and are less susceptible to the harmful effects of pesticides
16. The Canadian Nutrition Council was formed in the ________.
    1. 1890s
    2. 1910s
    3. 1930s
    4. 1950s
17. In countries such as the United States, of the 2250 calories each adult consumes each day, approximately ________ calories come from fresh vegetables, fruit, meats, and fish (“fresh foods”).
    1. 250
    2. 500
    3. 750
    4. 1000
18. ________ is defined as the inability to acquire or consume an adequate diet quality or sufficient quantity of good in socially acceptable ways, or the uncertainty that one will be able to do so.
    1. Food insecurity
    2. Food commodity
    3. Food poverty
    4. Food deserts
19. In the text, disordered eating refers to ________.
    1. portion sizes that are too large
    2. the popularity of eating at fast food restaurants
    3. eating on the fly
    4. unnatural eating habits due to media influence
20. According, an estimated ________ of the Canadian households are food insecure.
    1. 2 per cent
    2. 5 per cent
    3. 10 per cent
    4. 15 per cent

True or False Questions

1. Canada’s Food Guide replaced Canada’s Official Food Rules.
2. People who experience food insecurity are at a risk of becoming obese.
3. In liberal regime countries such as Canada, food and nutrition are considered public matters and government is heavily involved in ensuring good population nutrition.
4. The “fat tax” has been proven to be a successful policy tool in Denmark.
5. While New York attempted to regulate against “super-sized” containers of soda pop, regulations were overturned by the courts.
6. Rural areas in Canada have higher rates of obesity than urban regions.
7. In 2009, fewer than 25 per cent of the populations in Canada and the United Kingdom were overweight.
8. Portion sizes cannot be a factor that contributes to the rising levels of obesity because they became substantially smaller since the 1970s, whereas obesity rates went up.
9. According to the text, a multi-level, multi-pronged approach is required to get any kind of handle on rising BMIs and nutritionally poor diets.
10. Food supplements are a particularly effective way to combat the unhealthy diet of Canadians and to improve their overall health.

Short Answer Questions

1. What are three factors that influence people’s food choices? Briefly describe each.
2. Is food insecurity a population health problem in Canada? Explain your answer.
3. Why do some people criticize the existence of food banks?
4. What is the impact of gender on the obesity gradient?
5. What are some of the key policy issues that need to be addressed to improve access to healthier, more affordable food in Canada?

Essay Questions

1. Explain why affordability, quality, and availability of food are one of the major determinants of one’s health. How do affordability, quality, and availability of food interact with income, education, and place of residence?
2. Some people look at food choices as the individual-level problems whereas others take a wider, population-level approach. Outline an individual-level analysis of food and nutrition and contrast it with a population-level analysis.
3. What policies do you believe would be most effective in influencing what and how much Canadians eat? Why?