Student obesity linked to proximity to fast-food outlets

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Barely 300 feet separate Fullerton Union High School from a McDonald’s restaurant on Chapman Avenue. Researchers say that’s boosting the odds that its students will be super-sized.

Teens who attend classes within one-tenth of a mile of a fast-food outlet are more likely to be obese than peers whose campuses are located farther from the lure of quarter-pound burgers, fries and shakes.

Those are the findings of a recent study by researchers from UC Berkeley and Columbia University seeking a link between obesity and the easy availability of fast food. The academics studied body-fat data from more than 1 million California ninth-graders over an eight-year period, focusing on the proximity of the school to well-known chains including McDonald’s, Burger King, KFC, Taco Bell and Pizza Hut.

Their conclusion: Fast food and young waistlines make lousy neighbors. Read more here and check out the map showing how close fast food restaurants are to schools. Coincidence?