- Originally published in Health & Medicine Week on September 27, 2004
Copyright 2004 Health & Medicine Week via NewsRx.com & NewsRx.net
If you are looking for fast food in low-income and black neighborhoods
you needn't travel far. The preponderance of fast-food outlets may play
a role in the obesity epidemic among residents of these areas, suggest
the results of a geographical survey.
Obesity also has multiple genetic and behavioral causes, but easy
access to fast food, which tends to be high in fat, may be a key
environmental cause of obesity in blacks and low-income individuals.
"More convenient access likely leads to the increased consumption of
fast food in these populations," said study author Jason Block, MD,
MPH, of Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston.
Americans in general are eating more fast food - the percentage of fast
food calories in the American diet has increased from 3% to 12% over
the last 20 years. "Despite stable physical activity patterns during
the last 20 years, Americans are eating more, portion sizes have
increased substantially, and inexpensive, high-calorie food is now
ubiquitous," Block noted.
Block and
colleagues used computer software to map out and analyze the placement
of New Orleans fast food restaurants such as Church's Chicken, Pizza
Hut, Subway, Burger King and Taco Bell. They found that predominantly
black neighborhoods had 2.4 fast food restaurants per square mile,
while white neighborhoods only had 1.5 restaurants per square mile.
The study results appear in the
American Journal of Preventive Medicine.
Their study cannot prove that increased fast food access makes people
eat more of it but "theoretically, more convenient access to fast food
coupled with the decreased availability of healthy food in black and
low-income neighborhoods may increase consumption of unhealthy foods,"
Block said.
Higher-income and white
neighborhoods have more supermarkets than poor and black neighborhoods,
which tend to be served by smaller grocery or convenience-type stores.
Research shows that supermarkets offer more healthy foods than grocery
and convenience stores, according to the study.
Block and colleagues called for more research to examine whether fast
food joints are a chicken or an egg contributing to obesity in black
and low-income populations. It is possible that the market offers
unhealthy foods in response to the preferences of these populations.
Or, the food preferences in black and low-income neighborhoods may be
shaped by what is available nearby, especially since residents of these
communities often have less access to transportation.
"Likewise, because of limited financial resources, black and low-income
populations may simply seek out the most calories for the lowest
price," Block added.
This article was
prepared by Health & Medicine Week editors from staff and other
reports. Copyright 2004, Health & Medicine Week via NewsRx.com
& NewsRx.net.
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