Tag: middle

Middle-Class Millennials With Student Debt Have Trouble Buying Groceries Too, It Isn’t A Problem Just For The Poor
SOCIETY

Middle-Class Millennials With Student Debt Have Trouble Buying Groceries Too, It Isn’t A Problem Just For The Poor

Cassandra M. Johnson, Texas State University When I teach undergraduate and graduate students about food insecurity, I sometimes mention that my perspective is based not only on professional expertise but also on my personal experience. Food insecurity might sound like the same thing as hunger, but that’s not the case. The somewhat technical term food insecurity applies when people can’t get the food they need for themselves or their families because of a lack of money or other resources. Food security, on the other hand, is more of an ideal – being able to access culturally preferred foods to support an optimal diet and health. This is my personal take on the gray area between food security and food insecurity – and how student loan debt blurs the line between low-income and middle-inc...
Middle-Aged Americans In The US Are Stressed And Struggle With Physical And Mental Health – Other Nations Do Better
CULTURE

Middle-Aged Americans In The US Are Stressed And Struggle With Physical And Mental Health – Other Nations Do Better

Frank J. Infurna, Arizona State University Midlife was once considered a time to enjoy the fruits of one’s years of work and parenting. That is no longer true in the U.S. Deaths of despair and chronic pain among middle-aged adults have been increasing for the past decade. Today’s middle-aged adults – ages 40 to 65 – report more daily stress and poorer physical health and psychological well-being, compared to middle-aged adults during the 1990s. These trends are most pronounced for people who attained fewer years of education. Although these trends preclude the COVID-19 pandemic, COVID-19’s imprint promises to further exacerbate the suffering. Historical declines in the health and well-being of U.S. middle-aged adults raises two important questions: To what extent is this confined to the...