Washington, July 28 (IANS) Fast food joints, sprouting up in your neighbourhood, are not healthy signs for your teenaged son or daughter. They tempt and habituate kids into snacking regularly on burgers, fries and sodas.
A study by the University of California-Los Angeles Centre for Health Policy Research, investigated the effect of junk food on adolescents.
‘You are what you eat. You are, also, where you live,’ said Susan Babey, study co-author and senior research scientist at the Centre for Health, according to a statement.
‘And if you live in a place where there’s a fast food restaurant or convenience store on every block, with few healthier alternatives, you are likely to eat more junk,’ Babey said.
Consequently, 75 percent of California teens live or go to school in neighbourhoods taken over by junk food outlets, relative to the number of healthier food outlets, such as grocery stores, produce vendors and farmers markets.
And unsurprisingly, teens who live or go to school in such neighbourhoods are more likely to drink soda and eat fast food.
Research has shown that the consumption of fast food and soda has been linked to taking in excess calories and can contribute to diabetes and obesity.
