Fast Food and Obesity in NYC Neighborhoods: Discussion

Discussion

• People can only eat what is available to them
• Studies have shown that the presence or proximity of supermarkets in neighborhoods is associated with the probability of meeting dietary recommendations
• A local food environment with a high presence of Fast Food restaurants combined with few healthy food options may be a contributing factor to Obesity.
• Studies have found that there are over four times (4X) as many supermarkets in predominately white neighborhoods compared to predominately African-American neighborhoods.
• Predominantly African American neighborhoods tend to have fewer fruit and vegetable markets compared to predominantly white neighborhoods.

• SIMPLY because there are fast food restaurants in the neighborhoods does not necessarily mean residents will eat there to equal extents

• Residents of neighborhoods that predominately African American, with a higher percent under the poverty level, and a high fast food per capita appear to be the most at risk for obesity

• FFD (Fast Food Density) was not associated with obesity in this model.
• FFD may be too consistent a measure
• FFD was relatively uniform throughout densely populated neighborhoods in NYC

• FFPC (Fast Food Per Capita) - which in a sense controls for population, seems to be a more sensitive measure for fast food exposure

• In observational studies, it it extremely important to note that CORRELATION DOES NOT IMPLY CAUSATION
• Direction or existence of association cannot be determined using this model alone.
• It is unclear whether the appearance of fast food franchises is a response to local demand, or whether their appearance drives demand, or both.

• The Local Food Environment may be the result of behavior rather than the cause of behavior.
• Only experimental studies that examine how changes in the local food environment are related to diet and obesity rates could draw CAUSAL conclusions

• An important variable to study in future studies is SOCIAL CAPITAL 
• Klineberg in his book Heat Wave explains that SOCIAL CAPITAL is based on the networks and reciprocal relationships that help people gain access to resources, information, ad support (2002)

Summary
Background
Discussion
Conclusion
Future