Local food environment affects weight

Living in an area with more fast food outlets and convenience stores than supermarkets and grocers is associated with obesity.

Fast food has been associated with weight gain and obesity. Easier availability of fast food restaurants has led to increased consumption of fast food. People prefer fast food because it is cheaper and more energy-dense per measure of weight than other healthier foods such as fruits and vegetables that are purchased in a grocery store.

To see whether the location of fast food restaurants in urban areas may contribute to obesity, researchers analysed data from a population health survey of 2900 Canadian adults (18 years or older) conducted in 2002 that was linked with geographic measures of access to food retailers. Based upon a ratio of the number of fast-food restaurants and convenience stores to supermarkets and specialty food stores, a Retail Food Environment Index (RFEI) was calculated for 800 m and 1600 m buffers around people's homes. The researchers examined associations between the RFEI and the level of obesity among participants.

The availability of fast food and scarcity of outlets for natural ingredients within 800 m of a person's home was shown to be associated with higher weight, while the RFEI within a 1600 m radius did not have the same effect.

The researchers recommended that to reduce people's intake of these energy-efficient, but ultimately unhealthy meals, the government should intervene to limit the creation of areas where tempting junk-food outlets are more prevalent than other shops.