Does Fast Food Cause Obesity In Children?

Obesity among children is a growing concern. As a result, many concerned parents turn to natural weight loss supplements like Exipure to help their children resolve obesity and achieve an ideal weight for their age.

Fast Food, Contributor to Child Obesity?

It’s not surprising that snacking and fast food make you fat. The results of a new study, on the other hand, are astonishing. Burger joints and deli shops near schools are not to blame for students being overweight.

The conclusion would have been logical, but snack bars and fast-food restaurants right next to the school campus have no effect on the students’ weight. US scientists from the University of Southern Maine came to this surprising conclusion.

The Study on Obesity among Children by David Harris

In the current issue of the “Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior“, the researchers led by David Harris present their study. They surveyed more than 500 students from 11 American schools. The young people in grades nine to twelve provided information about their height and weight. They were also asked to indicate how often and where they consumed high-calorie foods. The researchers calculated the distance from various takeaway and fast-food restaurants to the school. It turned out that although fast food consumption among students is very high, there is no correlation between the distance of the fast-food service to school and the students’ obesity. The young people get the extra kilos elsewhere.

Of the 552 students, 73 percent were of normal weight, 12.5 percent were overweight, 12.5 percent were obese, and 1.8 percent were underweight. Half of the students drank soda at least once a week, and two-thirds had eaten at a fast-food restaurant in the month prior to the survey. The results revealed that consumption of sweetened beverages and fast food is high among high school students. It can be assumed that obesity is related to unhealthy eating habits. But it cannot be clarified which unhealthy offers make the students fat. Since fast food is ubiquitous, it would be surprising if only the snack bars near the school could influence the students’ weight, the scientists explain their result.

Which Factors to Blame on Child Obesity?

But the question of which factors are to blame cannot be answered by scientists. They recommend in-school nutrition programs as an approach to obesity prevention. They hold more promise than programs that aim to change the eating options in the school environment.