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School’s Proximity To Fast Food Increases Obesity Rates

Posted on: Saturday, 14 March 2009, 18:55 CDT

A new study released Friday finds that having a fast-food restaurant located within 500 feet of a school may increase obesity rates at the school by at least five percent.

Economists at University of California, Berkeley, and Columbia University examined the correlation between fast-food proximity and obesity rates among 3 million ninth graders at California schools, and more than 1 million pregnant women in Texas, Michigan and New Jersey.

The researchers focused their study on ninth graders, who were typically about 14 years old, in part because the students must complete a fitness test each spring, roughly 30 weeks after the start of the school year.

The study showed that "the presence of a fast-food restaurant within a tenth of a mile of a school is associated with at least a 5.2 percent increase in the obesity rate in that school,” the researchers said.

“A ban on fast foods in the immediate proximity of schools could have a sizable effect on obesity rates among affected students,” they said.

The research also showed that pregnant women living within a tenth of a mile of a fast-food restaurant experienced "a 4.4 percent increase in the probability of gaining over 44 pounds," the economists said.

The study supports previous research presented last month at an American Stroke Association meeting, in which researchers from the University of Michigan found that those living in neighborhoods with a large number of fast-food restaurants were more likely to suffer strokes.

And last December, another study found that school children who study within a half-mile from a fast-food restaurant consume fewer fruits and vegetables, drink more soda and are more likely to be obese than those at other schools without proximity to fast food restaurants.
Janet Currie, lead researcher of the current study, said that having a “fast-food-free zone” near schools might be a good policy.

"It would not be so different in spirit from existing policies that aim to prohibit soft drinks and junk foods in schools, or to improve the quality of school lunch," she told Reuters.

"I think it would be a dangerous precedent to limit the types of legitimate, important businesses and where they're located in a city," Ellen Davis, a spokeswoman for the Washington-based trade group National Retail federation, told Reuters.

"Doesn't it make more sense for parents to limit a child's allowance or let them know when and where they can't eat certain things?”
Davis emphasized that many fast-food restaurants have altered their menus in recent years, particularly for children’s meals.

"We see many healthy options available -- slices of apple, milk instead of sodas .. . . It's important to note that many chain restaurants have tried to diversify their menus and make them more healthy."

The study was released by the American Association of Wine Economists.  The full report can be viewed at http://www.wine-economics.org/workingpapers/AAWE_WP33.pdf.


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Source: redOrbit Staff & Wire Reports

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