- Schools within 500 ft. of a fast food restaurant have higher obesity rates. A study by researchers from Columbia University and the University of California surveyed obesity rates among 3 million ninth graders in California. They found 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.” Reuters News
- The same study from Columbia University/ University of California also surveyed more than 1 million pregnant women living in Michigan, New Jersey, and Texas. It found that pregnant women living within the 1/10 mile of a fast-food restaurant, had a “4.4 percent increase in the probability of gaining over 20 kilos (44 pounds).” Gaining too much weight during pregnancy increases the risk of gestational diabetes, raise the likelihood of need for cesarean delivery, and can cause high blood pressure. Reuters News
- The more fast-food restaurants in a neighborhood, the more likely people are to suffer strokes, University of Michigan researchers reported last month. They surveyed data from residents living in Texas communities with the highest concentration of fast-food restaurants, to those living in areas with the lowest. Relative stroke-risk increased one percent for each fast-food restaurant in a neighborhood. Reuters News
These studies raise a huge issue: Is this a problem that concerns us as a society?
Does this mean that we have to accept that obesity, and the health issues related to it, are more than just problems concerning the affected individuals? Even if ideals such as empathy, are set aside, and the issue is seen objectively, the problem of obesity at minimum affects the health care system- costs of care, increased insurance rates, allocation of manpower and resources, etc…
So what do we do now? Does the government have to get involved? There are individuals that are going so far as to suggest proposing new ordinances to limit how close fast food restaurants can be to schools.
More laws and new regulations are expensive too! Quite frankly, as long as we keep buying happy meals for our kids, and getting big macs for ourselves, these franchises will stay in business, no matter if they’re 500 ft. or 2000 ft. away from the school building.
Finally, it is true that many of these fast food places are starting to offer healthier options, which is a start. But come on, who actually goes to McDonald’s for a salad fix?
As always, feel free to voice your thoughts in the comments. Thanks for reading!
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
I’m sorry but I can’t bring myself to agree with something like this. Granted I don’t think fast food is the best source of nutrition, BUT I don’t think it is to be blamed entirely for obesity in this country.
#1. The term “obese” is entirely too loosely thrown around, I am 5’10″ and weigh between 210-220 depending on the day. I bench 240 and squat over 500, I don’t see myself as obese and nor does anyone else I know of (believe me I’ve asked), but according to standards (and wii fit) I am obese. A woman standing 5’6″ and weighing 160 is considered obese, but by any male standards she is beautiful and has a great body. Not everyone is as thin as a toothpick and I hate the fact that that is how this country views “healthy”.
#2 People can eat almost anything they want, that isn’t what causes their weight to be enormous, it’s lack of excercise. Olympic swimmers eat multiples of thousands of calories a day, and then swim them off. What you eat isn’t what causes you to be “obese” it’s whether or not you take the time to burn off those calories
Moving fast food restaurants away from schools or neighborhoods isn’t going to reduce the obesity rate in this country. The only thing that is going to help this is to convince people that excercise is a necessity. If you want a quick fix to a nationwide problem remove TVs from people’s homes. Force them to get out and do something.
Even if you tore down every fast food joint in the country, people would simply stay at home and veg out on potato chips instead, McDonalds has got nothing to do with this country being lazy.
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That school statistic is pretty frightening. I live in Colorado and some of the schools here have McDonald’s and other fast food IN the school – I can just imagine what that does to the obesity rate.
I’m not for government control, but I would like to see schools offer competitive meal options so kids wouldn’t go off to get something from Taco Bell
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Recently, I went to Wal-Mart to buy 32×32 jeans. The smallest waist they had was 34 and only a couple pairs of them. A 40 inch waist and up was a lot more common.
It’s easy to point at fast food restaurants and say getting rid of them is the solution. But the problem is systemic, throughout many links in the food chain.
Anything that comes wrapped in plastic or boxed probably has corn syrup in it. Even the meat has likely been force fed corn. The animals are given growth hormones to get fat. This comes through in the meat, so we get fat.
Vegetables have been genetically modified and aren’t really the same as others. Something is missing in them.
What I feel is happening is our bodies are sensing the lack of nutrients in much of what passes for food today. So, it thinks it’s starving and retains what it can in the form of fat and makes us hungry so we eat more of it.
Trying to look for a solution in a single approach such as banning fast food is fruitless. Instead of waisting away (pun intended) I changed the way I eat.
Last November, I went totally organic and fresh. My rule was a meal had to be cheaper than a meal at McDonald’s and it had to be quicker to make than going to McDonald’s.
In my opinion, processed organic food is almost as bad as processed non-organic food. So I started eating all fresh vegetables and small portions of organic meat. The recipes can be very simple. Stir fry, crock pot, sandwiches, etc. My favorite is Calzone with whatever I have available in it.
Since November, I’ve lost about 18 pounds and my waist has gone from 38 to 32 inches. All this without being a bit hungry.
I also planted a large vegetable garden. Except for the first tilling, I do all the work by hand including cutting what little grass is around it. This takes care of the exercise issue.
Government studies will take many years go complete while people keep being overweight and not understanding why. The simple answer is to go back to how people lived and ate in the 50′s. Forget about why it works. It does.
I’m against government regulation as these will be used to suppress organic and natural farmers who are providing us with good food. Just leave me, my garden, and my local organic grower alone, thank you.