Passage
Poverty may be the most foundational risk factor for poor health outcomes. Although poverty thresholds are calculated in a variety of ways, many international organizations define poverty thresholds as 50% of the median household income in a given country. Since the United States Census Bureau first began publishing an official U.S. poverty estimate in the 1960s, the percentage of the population living in poverty has fluctuated between roughly 10% and 15%. Extensive research shows a correlation between social stratification and health outcomes, with better outcomes corresponding to higher strata.Concentration of PovertyAccording to U.S. Census Bureau data, roughly 1 in 7 Americans is living in poverty, with almost 14 million residing in "high-poverty" neighborhoods (40% or more of residents below the federally defined poverty threshold) , nearly double the amount since 1990. High-poverty neighborhoods also tend to have the highest rates of violent crime, so living in these neighborhoods poses both immediate (eg, physical assault) and long-term health threats, as living in an unsafe neighborhood acts as a chronic environmental stressor.Poverty and IsolationPoverty also prevents or limits access to many productive social activities, such as working, buying goods and services, community and political involvement, and engagement with social networks. The most impoverished members of society are often marginalized and may engage with mainstream society very little, if at all.Transmission of PovertyPoverty is transmitted across generations; numerous studies have found that individuals born into poverty are more likely to raise their own children in poverty. A longitudinal study of 100 households concluded that transmission of poverty occurs because lower-income parents lack economic resources, social connections, and knowledge about the education system, not because they differ from higher-income parents in wanting to help their children succeed. Experts also suggest that the education system perpetuates income disparities; schools in high-income neighborhoods have the most funding, best teachers, and highest graduation rates, whereas schools in low-income neighborhoods face numerous obstacles to obtaining supplies, retaining qualified teachers, and preventing student attrition.
T. Chin & M. Phillips, "Social Reproduction and Child-rearing Practices:Social Class, Children's Agency, and the Summer Activity Gap." ©2004 SAGE Publications
-Does the passage provide a threshold for absolute poverty?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

11ecba2d_0db9_6093_a3bf_ede90e4ea09f_MD0008_00 Absolute poverty is the inability to secure the basic necessities of life, such as food, clean water, and shelter. Relative poverty, which is defined in comparison to the economic conditions of others, is a more subjective measure encompassing quality-of-life issues, such as relatively longer travel times to reach medical care using public transportation because one cannot afford a car. The first paragraph describes poverty thresholds defined as 50% of the median household income in a given country, which is a measure of relative (not absolute) poverty. (Choice A) Absolute poverty has a relatively standardized definition: the inability to meet the basic necessities of life, regardless of where one lives. Relative poverty is based on the economic standards of others, so it is less standardized and more dependent on the economic circumstances of others. (Choice C) The first paragraph describes the poverty threshold as 50% of the median household income in a given country (relative poverty), not as the threshold below which individuals are unable to meet their basic needs (absolute poverty). (Choice D) Although the threshold described in the first paragraph is a global standard that can be applied to any given country, it is the standard for relative poverty, not absolute poverty. Educational objective: Absolute poverty is the inability to secure basic life necessities (eg, food, shelter). Relative poverty, defined in comparison to the economic conditions of others, is the inability to meet the standards of the society in which one lives (eg, inability to afford a car if most others in society have a car).

Passage Poverty May Be the Most Foundational Risk Factor for Poor