How We Eat

As mentioned before fast food outlet density is related to increased risk of obesity. On the flipside, access to supermarkets offering a variety of high-quality products, especially at lower costs seems to be associated with a risk reduction in obesity. The review conducted by Dr. Nicole Larson et. al on neighbourhood environment and access to healthy foods found interesting results relating to this area.

- Each additional supermarket was related to a 32% increase in predominantly African-American communities and 11% increase in predominantly Caucasian in meeting fruits and vegetable guidelines.

- A study in the review also found that fruit and vegetable intake in kids was related to the distance between home and nearest convenience store.

- Residents of rural, low income, and minority communities were at higher risk of obesity due to poor access to supermarkets, healthy food stores, and other grocery stores.


Eating Out

What's interesting about the review was that it examined the patterns of  our dietary intake as well, and found that eating out at restaurants accounts for about half the US food expenditures(~$558 billion). Eating out, particularly at fast food restaurants, is associated with greater prevalence of obesity. In addition, restaurant meals tend to higher in calories and lower in nutritional quality, contributing to an unhealthy diet. I mentioned some of the relationships earlier, but Larson et. al have described studies that show a much more subtle dynamic at play with regards to placement of fast food restaurants and low income communities. Lower SES communities tended to have higher density of fast food outlets. In addition, richer communities had higher proportion of healthy food choices offered on their menus compared to lower SES communities.

These differences add up and contribute to how the obesity epidemic manifests itself in different communities!