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Study Suggests Year-Long Ban on Fast Food in Los Angeles Falls Flat
A study published in a recent issue of Health Affairs suggests that the year-long ordinance to restrict the construction of stand-alone fast food restaurants in South Los Angeles has done little to curb obesity rates, the Los Angeles Times reports. Unanimously approved in July 2008 by the city council, the ordinance was intended to address excessive obesity rates in South Los Angeles. To evaluate the efficacy of the ordinance, researchers from Rand Health analyzed business data from InfoUSA and a survey of almost 1,500 Los Angeles County residents. According to Rand Senior Economist Roland Sturm, the number of fast-food restaurants per capita in South Los Angeles is less than in other areas of the city, “contrary to ‘conventional wisdom.’” Acknowledging that South Los Angeles residents have a significantly higher body-mass index (BMI) and a higher likelihood for obesity than other Los Angeles residents, researchers began evaluating the caloric consumption of South Los Angeles residents. According to their findings, the consumption of discretionary calories—calories consumed from cookies, candy, salty snacks, soda and alcohol—is significantly higher in South Los Angeles than in higher-income areas in Los Angeles County. The study also found that there was no significant difference in the proportion of the population who engaged in other healthy behaviors such as daily fruit and vegetable consumption and engaging in moderate or vigorous physical activity on a regular basis. While the researchers concede that "regulating the food environment may be a promising direction for preventing obesity," they caution that "the one-year ordinance restricting fast-food outlets is not the right application." Instead, they suggest that "interventions such as portion control or counteradvertising may be more likely to lead to change as far as diet and obesity are concerned." (Hirsch, Los Angeles Times, 10/6/09; MacVean, Los Angeles Times, 10/6/09; UPI, 10/6/09; Sturm/Cohen, Health Affairs, 10/6/09 [subscription required]).