At one time, hunger in America conjured images of soiled-face toddlers in rural areas or frighteningly thin children in decrepit urban apartments. That is about to change.

A recent survey found that the country’s capital of obesity, the South Bronx, is also one of the poorest and hungriest districts in the country. Sound impossible? Well, when all the factors are considered, it’s not as far-fetched as it seems:

• Lack of healthy options: Fresh produce is often difficult to find among the pizza shops, doughnuts stores and fried-everything restaurants.
• Few supermarkets: Full-service, reasonably priced supermarkets are rare, and those that do exist tend to carry more processed foods than seasonal fruits and veggies.
• Eating on the run: Poor people often work extended hours and/or multiple jobs, so they eat on the run, which means they have less time to exercise and even fewer healthy food options.

Statistics show that hunger and obesity are in fact two sides to the same coin?

• Residents of the Bronx are about 85% more likely to be obese than people in Manhattan.
• More than one in three (37%) of residents say they lacked money to buy food in the past 12 months.
• The borough’s 14.1% unemployment rate is the highest in all of NY state, making it one of the poorest counties in the nation.
• The district was recently ranked the unhealthiest of New York’s 62 counties.

“When you’re just trying to get your calorie intake, you’re going to get what fills your belly,” said Mr. Berg, the author of “All You Can Eat: How Hungry Is America?” “And that may make you heavier even as you’re really struggling to secure enough food.”

City officials are responding to the challenge by:

• Providing income supports like providing farmers market vouchers to WIC recipients.
• Increasing healthy options like sending carts selling fresh fruits and vegetables to poor neighborhood, and attracting grocery stores with healthier produce options to the neighborhoods by offering them incentives like tax credits.
• Encouraging nutritious behavior like allowing food stamps to go farther when used in farmer’s markets and maybe even imposing a tax on sugary drinks like soda.

What else can be done to counter the hunger and obesity paradox? Tell us.

What can you do?

Check out the Fayette County Youth Garden Initiative that aims to teach youth issues of health, farming and entrepreneurship, leadership and teamwork, and conservation, to improve access to fresh, healthy foods in Fayette County, VA also improving overall academic performance.