June 16, 2008
The Health Collaborative Seeks Participants for Project Measure Up Volunteer Corps
May 3, 2008
Celebrate Mother's Day with Gifts that Encourage a Healthy Lifestyle
April 10, 2008
Enjoy a Fun, Fit Fiesta!
March 3, 2008
Make Family Fitness Activities Part of Your Spring Break
The Social Environment
Residents living on incomes that are below 200 percent of poverty
In 2000, 514,033 residents (38 percent) of Bexar County lived on incomes that were below 200 percent of poverty. This is the level of income often used to determine eligibility for state and federal assistance programs. Though slightly higher than Texas, this is similar to Texas and Harris County rates. Within Bexar County the northern sectors have the lowest proportion living below 200 percent of poverty, the Northwest sector has the highest with 32 percent. In the south, 50 percent or more of the population have incomes below 200 percent of poverty. In the South sector 58 percent of the population live on incomes below 200 percent of poverty. Estimates of income below 200 percent of poverty are not available for 2004. People with low incomes have to make decisions about how to allocate resources to make ends meet. This may result in choices that adversely impact nutritional options. The consequences of these choices may be malnutrition and, almost certainly, support consumption of foods high in fat and carbohydrates that result in higher levels of overweight and obesity.
Families with single female head of household
In 2000, there were 51,661 families with children in Bexar County with female heads, this is 26 percent of the 202,384 families with children under 18 years old. This is notably higher than Texas at 22 percent and somewhat higher than Harris County at 23 percent. The highest proportion of families with children headed by single women is in the East sector with 34 percent. The South and West sectors have only somewhat lower rates with 28 percent. The North Central has the fewest female-headed households with children with 22 percent, closely followed by the Northeast sector.
Families headed by single mothers were eight times more likely to report that their children were hungry, compared to other families8.
Single female-headed families with children under 18 living below poverty
There were 19,505 families with children under 18 headed by single females in Bexar County in 2000. Thirty-eight percent of these families had incomes that were below the federal poverty guidelines. This is similar to the Texas rate of 36 percent but above the Harris rate of 33 percent. Approximately 50 percent of female households with children in the southern sectors live on incomes that are below the poverty level. Though the rates are considerably lower in the northern sectors there are significant numbers of single female households with children living below the poverty level ranging from 25 percent in the Northeast to 31 percent in the Northwest. The percent of single female head of households living below poverty is comparable to the total percent of families living below 200 percent of poverty. Families with children having a single female head of household are a population at particular risk in Bexar County and Texas. Along with other problems faced by low income families, single heads of families living below poverty guidelines cope with even greater difficulty in finding child care.
