Fast food near schools means fatter kids

Adolescents who go to a school with a fast-food restaurant close by are more likely to be overweight or obese than children whose schools are further away. Several studies have demonstrated that fast food restaurants are often clustered within walking distance of schools. However, few studies have examined whether or not this affects students' weight or eating habits. To explore the association between distance of fast food outlets from schools and students' weight, researchers from California studied 2002-2005 data on more than 500,000 middle- and high-school students from the California Healthy Kids Survey. It was found that the students who attended schools located within a km of a fast-food outlet were heavier than were other students of similar age, ethnicity and activity level. The effect was the same whether there was one or more fast food restaurants close by. Those going to fast food restaurants near the school were also less likely to report eating any vegetables, fruit, or drinking any juice the day before; and were more likely to have had a cold drink on the previous day. The study confirms that fast food outlets near schools affect students' eating habits and weight, and limiting the closeness of fast-food restaurants to schools could help reduce obesity in adolescents.

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