A new study by the University of Pittsburgh has found an association between those who live near fast food restaurants and who do not own a car and an excess body mass index and weight gain, according to a story by ScienceDaily.
The study, which was published in the September issue of the Journal of Urban Health, found that adults who live in areas with high fast food concentration who didn't have a car were as much as 12 pounds heavier than those who lived in neighborhoods without such restaurants. The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services funded the study, which was part of the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Study, a survey of 2,156 adults in 63 neighborhoods in Los Angeles County.
From ScienceDaily:
"There has been a major focus on fast food and its impact on individual health, but we need to consider the availability of all types of restaurants at individual and community levels," said (Sanae Inagami, M.D., study lead author and assistant professor, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine). "Since our study showed that total restaurant density was associated with weight gain in all individuals, not just those who did not own cars, we also need to encourage people to pay more attention to their food environment."
