I don't think there's any excuse making here.
I think it's more so meant to a reason as to why someone would be fat.
If you live in a lower income area you already have to deal with weird pricing
where high calorie/low weight foods (that won't offer much satiety) are
cheaper than low calorie/high weight foods like vegetables and fruits.
On top of that there's a certain nutritional ignorance that comes with
income levels. Wealthier and higher educated people tend to be more
knowledgeable about nutrition and how it relates to health,
while lower income people may not understand the correlation or
if they DO they may not know how to CORRECT the issue.
There's a reason dietitians change their strategy
depending on the background of their particular patient.
http://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/79/1/6.full - Poverty And Obesity
http://www.ces.ncsu.edu/depts/4hfcs/docs/trends/nut.pdf Nutritional Status Of Low Income families
http://www.hindawi.com/journals/jobe/2013/123901/ - Attitudes Nutrition Knowledge, Attitudes, and Beliefs
associated with Obesity among Low-Income Hispanic and African American Women Caretakers
The article doesn't mention how wealthy the women are or what level of education
the women have, but these alongside other reasons can help to explain
why someone is severely obese, and with this knowledge we as a society
can COMBAT those things.
SO YES, it is FAR from pointless.
Thankfully the state finds this to be bullshyt
@The Government
http://www.choosemyplate.gov/
Here's a novel concept
Read the article next time