by Art Young

Created on: January 27, 2009

You Want Fries With That?

Here's a hot news flash. Eating a lot of fast food will make you fat.

"Ah, but wait!" the more libertarian among us shout. If you eat a lot of ANYTHING and get no exercise, you will also lose the battle of the bulge. Of course this is true.

However, is there any scientific correlation between the consumption fast food and the health of kids? It turns out there is, and it is outlined in the December 2008 edition of "American Journal of Public Health."

In order to determine the impact of fast-food restaurant locations on student health, researchers from Azusa Pacific University in California reviewed data on more than 500,000 middle school students from the 2002-2005 "California Healthy Kids Survey."

Let's see. They surveyed a half million kids over three years and noted an obvious trend. Yes, that would probably qualify as statistically significant.

According to the data of this research, 28 percent of the students were overweight and 12 percent were obese. Moreover, 55 percent of overweight and obese students attended a school within one-half mile of a fast food restaurant.

Here's the most important part of the research. The study found a 0.10 unit increase in body mass index among students who attended schools within close proximity of fast food establishments compared with students attending schools that are farther away from such restaurants. So, kids who attended schools located within one half mile of a quick serve restaurant were more likely to be fat than their peers who attend schools that are located farther away from Mickey D's, WhooperVille or Taco Loco.

Given the incredible number of fast food joints, it's surprising that the researchers were able to find a school that WASN'T within walking distance to these restaurants. They're everywhere.

Some other juicy morsels that the researchers uncovered, and I know this will shock you, include data about a lack of consumption of the good stuff. Adolescents who attended schools near a fast food outlet were less likely to eat fruits and vegetables and more likely to consume sugar-laden beverages.

Based on these findings, the researchers (who have obviously spent too long in the faculty lounge) recommended that schools DO something about this situation. They suggested that schools implement policies such as limiting student access to fast-food outlets during lunchtime or those cities enact zoning limitations for the establishments to help reduce adolescent obesity.

The odds of a school district

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