Web Desk (September 14, 2017): Children who live near fast food outlets are more likely to gain weight compared with those living farther away, as new research suggests that where you live could have a big impact on your child’s waistline.
Primary school children who live close to fast food outlets are most likely to be fat, new research suggests. And it’s not rocket science – it is down to the accessibility of the fattening food (even if you’re not taking them there yourself).
Scholars from the University of the West of England conducted a research by monitoring the weight of more than 1,500 state primary school students aged four to 11. It was found that children who lived in proximity to fast food joints were more likely to gain a considerable amount of weight between the first and last year of primary school.
They used the weights of the children, from south Gloucestershire, between reception and year six.
The study found children living closer to fast food outlets were more likely to gain a significant amount of weight between the first and last year of school.
Researchers calculated a ‘fast food accessibility score’ for each child involved in the study.
This took into account the number of fast food outlets and how many were within a distance of half a mile by road of each child’s home.
Previous research has found that adults and children who live near fast food outlets are more likely to be overweight or obese.
It also found a higher density of fast food outlets within poorer neighbourhoods. Being overweight significantly increases a child’s likelihood of developing type 2 diabetes when they are older. Scans showed kids, some younger than one, had 30 per cent thicket heart muscle compared to those of a healthy weight.
Suffering from an abnormally enlarged organ is an early marker of heart disease.
The study used data from the National Child Measurement Programme, which weighs and measures primary school children on a yearly basis.
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