About Childhood Obesity Caused By Fast Foods

Your children have a greater risk for obesity if you live near a fast food restaurant or convenience store. They may also get fast-food items in their school lunch and vending machines. One-third of American children are overweight or obese, according to the White House Task Force on Childhood Obesity. Another 14 percent are at risk of becoming overweight, according to researchers commenting in the December 2003 issue of the "American Journal of Clinical Nutrition." They note that running parallel to the increase in childhood obesity is an increase in consumption of fast food by children -- a 300 percent increase in about 20 years to be exact.

Neighborhood Proximity to Fast Food Restaurants

Columbia University and University of California researchers report that when a fast-food restaurant is within one-tenth of a mile of a school, that proximity is related to a 5.2 percent increase in that school's obesity rate. The finding builds on research that says children who go to school near fast-food restaurants eat fewer fruits and vegetables, drink more soda and are more likely to be obese than students who aren't as close. The problems progress as children get older and eat out more often, away from their parents. The National Institutes of Health, or NIH, says that after 15 years, eating at fast food restaurants more than twice per week adds 10 pounds more weight and a two-fold greater increase in insulin resistance over people who don't eat like that.

Convenience Stores

The presence of a convenience store on the same block where a child lives is associated with an increase in body mass index, or BMI, which is a calculation of your weight in relation to your height. It is used by doctors as a screening tool to determine risk of overweight and obesity and other weight-related problems. Children living in urban and inner-city regions are at greater risk of overweight. In a study among Harlem children, 55 percent of the children lived within a block of a corner store, and 41 percent lived that close to a fast food restaurant -- some with both nearby. Reported online in June 2009 by "Academic Pediatrics," researchers found that those children's BMIs were in the highest ranges compared with children who lived farther away.

School Lunches, Vending Machines and Student Stores

Children get about one-third of their daily calories at school. In an assessment of the National School Lunch program, researchers found the average amount of saturated fat and salt exceeded guidelines and public health recommendations. That was due in part to the fact that items such as pizza, hamburgers, hot dogs and fries were among the most commonly offered foods. Students also get additional calories, sugar and fat from vending machines and students selling snack goods for fund raising. One study in a California school district found that 88.5 percent of the inventory from student stores was high in fat and sugar.

Implications and Recommendations

Consumption of fast food has risen sharply in the United States. This is due to many factors. Fast foods offer convenient and low-cost meals to busy, working parents. In addition, advertising for fast food is heavily targeted toward children. However, the ingredients in the food these restaurants serve contain excessive calories from fat, sugar, high-fructose corn syrup and cholesterol. Obesity is caused by eating excess calories over time. Public health officials strongly suggest you limit your children's calories from fast food meals and cook at home more often. When eating out, you can split meals to reduce calories and order alternatives to the most fattening or sugary items, such as fries and soda. You can also request the nutrition information of everything on the menu before you order.