A hat tip to the NYT for this article, which was published in today’s paper. It reports on research that found that 9th graders whose schools are within a block of a fast-food outlet are more likely to be obese than students whose schools are a quarter of a mile or more away from one.
The researchers studied a sample population that included millions of students over a decade and took into account differences among the students in income, education, and race.
Bottom line: They found that obesity rates in schools within one-tenth of a mile of a pizza, burger, or some other type of fast-food joint were 5 percent higher than they were for schools located farther away. Read the full study here on the Web site for the National Bureau of Economic Research.
The National Restaurant Association is, predictably, not happy with the results.