Fast Food Restaurants Have No Impact On High School Students' Weight

It's the parents and home, stupid.

People generally worry about who their neighbors are, especially neighbors of our children. If high-fat food and soda are nearby, people will imbibe, and consequently gain weight. Or will they? With students' health at risk, a study in the July/August 2011 issue of the Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior explores the influence food store locations near schools has on the student risk of being overweight and student fast-food and sweetened beverage consumption.

Investigators from the University of Southern Maine surveyed 552 students at 11 Maine high schools to determine height, weight, and calorie-dense food consumption of ninth through twelfth grade students. Findings from the study reveal that half of the students consumed soda at least once a week and just over 10% consumed it daily, with a slightly smaller number consuming sports drinks in these time periods. In addition, nearly two thirds had visited a burger and fries fast food restaurant in the previous month, whereas over half had visited a pizza parlor during that period. Of the 552 students surveyed, one quarter of students were overweight (12.7%) or obese (12.5%), whereas 73% were of normal weight and 1.8% were underweight.

An initial step to solving the problem of nutritional child abuse is identifying the real culprits - parents and the law-breaking enablers.