Fast Food Consumption and Childhood Obesity: Key Factors

Introduction

This study identifies the underlying correlation between fast food consumption and the increasing rate of childhood obesity. The fast food system is prevalent in all countries, with each country having its own variations of food items and the nature of establishments serving them. The popularity of fast food stems from the convenience of fast service, packaged food, and low cost. Major fast food industries now attempt to make their products appear as healthy as possible. It is likely that this convenience is influencing the growth of childhood obesity in the United States. In addition, factors such as media, family, and environment create differences in health outcomes within communities. Understanding the correlation between these factors is vital to producing a solution. However, there needs to be stronger support for causation, not just correlation. The children and youth of today will one day shape the dynamics of the world, and all children deserve healthier choices. Through education, healthy choices can be made available to all.

This research investigates the relationship between fast food and childhood obesity. The topic represents a serious public health problem, as childhood obesity is on the rise both in the U.S. and globally. In 2006, an estimated 15% of children and adolescents in the U.S. were overweight. This condition cost the nation $93 billion in preventable medical expenditures to the American healthcare system (Evans, 2006). This is particularly concerning given that obesity rates among children in the nation have doubled since the late 1970s — an indication of a profound change in children's relationship with food (Lewin & Lindstrom, 2006). The problem is compounded by the likelihood that current obesity trends will lead to higher healthcare costs, since an obese child can become an obese adult. According to Strauss (1996), a child between 10 and 14 years old who is obese has an 80% greater likelihood of becoming an obese adolescent.

Projections for 2030 anticipate obesity rates of 50–80% in the U.S., 30–40% for Mauritius, England, and Australia, and over 20% for developing nations (Strauss, 1996). Although the literature agrees that obesity rates are rising, addressing the problem remains a challenge because obesity is a multifactorial disease involving genetic, environmental, epigenetic, sociological, and psychological factors. The availability of fast food is considered a primary driver of obesity rates, though the correlation between obesity and fast food availability remains controversial. This research carries out a thorough review of the literature to identify the existence of a relationship between fast food consumption and childhood obesity.

Thesis: The aim of this study is to identify the underlying correlation between fast food and the increase in child obesity rates. The fast food system is prevalent globally but varies across nations depending on the type of food items and the nature of establishments serving them. Fast foods are popular for their convenience, packaging, attractiveness, and low cost. Fast food advertisements are displayed everywhere and are designed to be attractive, with the industry promising healthy and tasty products. The question remains, however, whether these factors are driving the growth of childhood obesity in the U.S. There is a need to encourage better choices among children and youth — not only to reduce childhood obesity now, but to prevent adult obesity in the future.

Fast-Food Restaurants and Obesity Risk

A 2004 survey of New Orleans found that most Black neighborhoods — often low-income neighborhoods — have 2.4 fast food restaurants per square mile, compared with 1.5 restaurants in predominantly white neighborhoods (Eagle, 2012). These African-American neighborhoods are more likely to have higher percentages of obese residents, and by extension, obese children and adolescents. The results of this study indicate that the presence of fast food restaurants in an area is directly linked to overweight and obesity cases.

This finding is supported by Fraser (1998), which assessed the weighted accessibility of fast food outlets within a 1-km radius of 13-year-old participants' residences and conducted a regression analysis of fast food consumption at ages 13–15. The analysis also assessed the relationship between fast food accessibility and consumption rates, finding a high correlation between the existence of fast food outlets in an area and the level of fast food consumption among local youth. Together, these studies point to the need for public education on informed fast food consumption as a strategy for reducing overweight and obesity rates.

Advertisements are widely perceived to have a profound effect on individual behavior and attitudes. Chou (2008) carried out a survey to investigate the effects of fast food restaurant advertisements on overweight children and adolescents. The survey measured the number of hours per week that children with above-normal Body Mass Index (BMI) were exposed to fast food television advertisements. Chou (2008) found that a ban on fast food advertisements could reduce the number of overweight children aged 3–11 by 10%, and those aged 12–18 by 12%. This research underscores that marketing messages drive people to consume unhealthy foods even when they are aware they should avoid them. Chou's (2008) findings show that advertisements directly affect children by exposing them to fast food products. Understanding how advertisements work can help researchers and policymakers identify contributing factors to overweight, and potentially lead to changes in marketing and product strategies that reduce the risk of weight gain.

According to Grotz (2006), there is evidence that marketing strategies focus on consumers' interest in new food choices. Food and beverage companies need to increase public knowledge regarding factors that contribute to overweight. The study demonstrates that marketing and advertising messages have a direct effect on consumers' eating behavior and food choices. As a result, product and marketing reforms may be necessary to help reduce the risk of weight gain among children and adolescents. The role of food marketing in shaping dietary behavior has thus become an important area of public health research.

Fast-Food Advertising and Children

A review of the literature indicates that family income does influence childhood and adolescent obesity. In most cases, children from low-income families are more likely to be overweight than children from other socioeconomic households. According to Eagle (2012), in Massachusetts alone, the percentage of overweight children varied from 9.6% to 42.8% across different communities. The study also found that low-income households present higher opportunities for obesity. Eagle's (2012) research is significant for its investigation into the root causes of childhood obesity and the role of household influences. Of particular interest was the role of behavior and its impact on childhood obesity. Eagle (2012) found that in low-income households, the frequency of frying food doubles, while vegetable consumption and moderate to vigorous exercise decline. Children in these households exhibit poor dietary and physical activity behaviors associated with family habits, which contribute to obesity. Furthermore, the geographical location and proximity of fast food restaurants influence fast food consumption and, by extension, obesity rates.

Family influences on childhood and adolescent obesity are also tied to environmental factors. Horst (2006) investigated the environmental correlates of fat, energy, vegetable and fruit, snack and fast food, and soft drink intake among children aged 4–12 and adolescents aged 13–18. The study found that a child's environment plays a significant role in determining dietary behavior, especially in the context of obesity. The most influential associations Horst (2006) identified were between parental food intake and children's fat intake, and between parent and sibling intake and children's fruit and vegetable consumption. Adolescent energy and fat intake were influenced by parental education level and adolescent fruit and vegetable intake. These findings, combined with data on fast food restaurant locations relative to residential areas and family income levels, indicate that environmental factors play a significant role in childhood obesity.

Horst (2006) demonstrates that household-level environmental factors — including socioeconomic and cultural dimensions — are among the strongest predictors of childhood obesity. The highest associations were between parents' food intake and education level and the child's overweight status. This is further supported by Kumanyika (2008), whose research on environmental influences on childhood obesity highlights ethnicity and culture as determinants of biological outcomes. Kumanyika (2008) indicates that diet can lead to obesity and associated disorders such as metabolic syndrome. Environmental factors like culture and socioeconomic class influence eating behavior and determine weight regulation among children and adolescents. Kumanyika (2008) also identifies that these factors alter physiological systems within children's bodies, causing overweight, obesity, and associated health conditions. Fast foods are specifically associated with an increased risk of acquiring metabolic syndrome and type II diabetes (Kumanyika, 2008). However, the study notes that not all persons with obesity develop type II diabetes, and that various mechanisms influence eating disorders — particularly among adolescents. Therefore, in the treatment and prevention of childhood and adolescent obesity, cultural and ethnic factors within a child's environment must be taken into account.

Conclusion

Grotz, L. (2006). A look at food industry responses to the rising prevalence of overweight. Nutrition Reviews, 68, 48–52.

Horst, K. (2006). A systematic review of environmental correlates of obesity-related dietary behaviors in youths. Oxford University Press, 22, 203–226.

Kumanyika, S. (2008). Environmental influences on childhood obesity: Ethnic and cultural influences. Purdue University Ingestive Behavior Research Center Symposium, 94, 1–7.