Fast Food Obesity

More and more health studies are showing a connection between the rise of obesity and fast food. According to U.S. Government surveys, obesity in children increased five-fold from 1970 to 1998 and the number of fast food restaurants doubled in that time period. With one third of Americans obese and 15% of those being children, fast food is being blamed for the rise in childhood obesity, a chronic condition that many carry into adulthood. According to a Centre for Health and Health Care in Schools 2004 study, a child’s daily energy intake from fast food in 1970 was 2%. In 1990 that increased to 10%. Furthermore, while conducting a two-day study on how fast food affects children, 29 to 38% of their energy intake came from the saturated fat, the carbohydrates, and sugar that are high in fast food. This could add 60 calories to their daily diet which translates into a six pound weight gain over a year.

The popularity of fast food can be attributed to its convenience and its suitability to our highly-charged lifestyle. It is also relatively inexpensive and reliable with little change in taste over the years. But the nutritional aspect of burgers and fries has always been questioned. High in saturated fat and trans fat with a high sugar content means the calorie intake is usually three or four times more than a healthy meal.

Many also blame advertising for the fast food/obesity link. With more ads promoting convenience food, marketers may be hoping that they can influence children and adolescents so they carry their habit into adulthood.

Researchers have found (American Heart Association Conference, 2003) that the link between fast food and obesity is more common in white people than black. They say African Americans have a relatively poor diet anyway so it is hard to prove how fast food affects them. Whites who eat fast food more than twice a week have a 50% greater chance of becoming obese. This triples if you add a sedentary lifestyle such as watching television for more than 14 hours a week.

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