fast food restaurants are bad for health essay

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An opinion essay about fast food.

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Is fast food popular in your country? Do you think it causes health problems or any other kinds of problems?

fast food restaurants are bad for health essay

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Home — Essay Samples — Nursing & Health — Fast Food — Fast Food And Why It Should Be Banned

Fast Food Should Be Banned: Analysis of Health Effects

Categories: Fast Food Junk Food Obesity

About this sample

Words: 1465 |

Published: Jan 28, 2021

Words: 1465 | Pages: 3 | 8 min read

Introduction, why should fast food be banned, works cited.

Oliver, J. (2010, February). Teach every child about food. TED. Retrieved from https://www.ted.com/talks/jamie_oliver?language=en
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2022). Overweight & obesity: Adult obesity facts. Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/adult.html
World Health Organization. (2021). Obesity and overweight. Retrieved from https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/obesity-and-overweight
American Heart Association. (n.d.). Fast food and your heart. Retrieved from https://www.heart.org/en/healthy-living/healthy-eating/eat-smart/nutrition-basics/fast-food-and-your-heart
Stuckler, D., & Nestle, M. (2012). Big food, food systems, and global health. PLoS Medicine, 9(6), e1001242. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001242
Ludwig, D. S., Peterson, K. E., & Gortmaker, S. L. (2001). Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: A prospective, observational analysis. The Lancet, 357(9255), 505-508. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(00)04041-1
Rosenheck, R. (2008). Fast food consumption and increased caloric intake: A systematic review of a trajectory towards weight gain and obesity risk. Obesity Reviews, 9(6), 535-547. doi: 10.1111/j.1467-789X.2008.00477.x
Nestle, M. (2013). Food Politics: How the Food Industry Influences Nutrition and Health (3rd ed.). University of California Press.
Roberts, C., Troop, N., & Connors, M. (2019). Eating Behaviours and Obesity. In R. F. Bell & J. M. Lundahl (Eds.), Handbook of Obesity Treatment (pp. 55-67). Springer.
Smith, T., Smith, B., & Kelly, P. (2018). "Just one more piece of cake." Obesogenic environments and the irresistible pull of sweet treats. In M. K. Demauro (Ed.), Sugar Consumption and Health (pp. 61-76). Nova Science Publishers.

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Home Essay Samples Food Fast Food

Cause and Effect of Fast Food: the Impact on Health and Society

Table of contents, causes of fast food consumption, effects on physical well-being, cultural and societal impact, economic considerations, promoting healthier lifestyles, conclusion: balancing convenience and health.

Ludwig, D. S., Peterson, K. E., & Gortmaker, S. L. (2001). Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesity: a prospective, observational analysis. The Lancet, 357(9255), 505-508.
Malik, V. S., Pan, A., Willett, W. C., & Hu, F. B. (2013). Sugar-sweetened beverages and weight gain in children and adults: a systematic review and meta-analysis. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 98(4), 1084-1102.
Story, M., Kaphingst, K. M., Robinson-O'Brien, R., & Glanz, K. (2008). Creating healthy food and eating environments: policy and environmental approaches. Annual Review of Public Health, 29, 253-272.
Stuckler, D., McKee, M., Ebrahim, S., & Basu, S. (2012). Manufacturing epidemics: the role of global producers in increased consumption of unhealthy commodities including processed foods, alcohol, and tobacco. PLOS Medicine, 9(6), e1001235.
World Health Organization. (2016). Report of the Commission on Ending Childhood Obesity. WHO Press.

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128 Brilliant Fast Food Essay Topics & Examples

The phenomenon of comfort food that takes a short time to prepare and tastes good has become extremely popular in the world, with chains such as McDonalds having an enormous global presence. However, the adverse health effects associated with the emergence of fast food have led to its nickname, junk food.

There is an obesity epidemic throughout the world, but people do not adopt healthy eating habits even as more and more issues surface. As such, you should cover some key points to write an outstanding essay on one or more fast food essay topics and show your understanding of the topic.

In this article we will reveal some tips and ideas for writing, as well as research questions on fast food.

👍 Tips for Essay Writing on Fast Food

🏆 best fast food topics & essay examples, ✅ simple & easy fast food essay topics, 💡 most interesting fast food topics to write about, ❓ fast food questions for research paper.

Your fast food essay should discuss the advantages as well as disadvantages of fast food compared to traditional healthy food.

Food items that contain excessive fat or were not good for one’s health have existed for a long time, but were never prominent enough to impact the population significantly.

Fast food options became popular because they pioneered the ideas of food being easily accessible, quick to make, and tasty nevertheless.

Compared to the usual cooking experience people went through at home as well as outdoors eating places, the new phenomenon constituted a revolution.

Fast food became popular with the population due to its significant benefits compared to other methods.

However, the disadvantages of excessive consumption of junk food emerged eventually, leading to the release of various legislation governing the dangers of a poor diet.

With its emphasis on fat and sugars, fast food can lead to a variety of issues, examples including uncontrolled weight gain, heart disease, dental issues, shortness of breath, and other adverse outcomes.

Obesity is now an issue that affects many people in the United States as well as other countries. It can also be difficult to stop consuming junk food because of its instant gratification properties.

Due to its concentration on taste over nutrition, healthy food can feel bland and uninteresting by comparison, leading the person to switch back.

You should discuss potential solutions to the issues created by fast food, but the issue is complex and complicated by the conditions of some of the people affected.

In Australia, some aboriginal people live too far from large cities to receive regular shipments of healthy food that will not spoil, so they have to rely on fast food that is packed with preservatives.

As a result, many become obese and malnourished at the same time. There is no easy solution to the issue, and as such, most options have to be theoretical or supported by evidence. The essay format is generally not suitable for in-depth discussions of topics related to the resolution of these issues.

Here are some additional tips that will make your essay truly outstanding:

Try to rely on facts that are supported by research and evidence rather than the popular perception.
The concept of fast food extends beyond chains such as McDonalds to ready-made meals and various snacks in stores.
Remember to follow usual essay writing guidelines such as an academic tone, the separation of section with titles, and the use of an introductions and fast food essay conclusions.

Here, at IvyPanda you can find lots of fast food essay titles and other useful samples that will help you create an excellent paper! Check them below!

Fast Food Industry: Arguments for and Against For instance, those who believe that fast food industry is beneficial to them and other members of the society will expect the findings of this research to be in support of their beliefs.
Fast Food in Campus: Advantages and Disadvantages On the other hand, a classmate mentions that fast foods lead to obesity among university students who eat from fast-food restaurants.
Fast Food vs. Home Cooking: Lifestyle and Traditions The good thing with this business is that the food was from natural products hence healthy, a fact that has since changed Many people are very busy for the better part of the day and […]
Survey to Study the Relationship Between Fast Food Consumption and Obesity The survey aims to analyze if there is any connection between consumption of fast food and obesity. The study aims to ascertain the relationship between fast food consumption and obesity.
Fritter’s Fast Food Restaurants: Overview Very fast and inexpensive to manufacture, Fritters can find their customers both in restaurants and kiosks, and in pre-prepared form.
Fast Food Restaurants: Classification Most restaurants offer these services at their premises, whereby customers come, have their meals and leave for example the Deising’s chain of restaurants, while others especially the well-established ones offer take-out services and delivery services […]
The Negative Consequences of Employing High School Students in Fast Food Restaurants In addition, high school students should be advised that education and their careers are more important as compared to working at fast food restaurants.
McDonald’s Corporation: Analyzing Fast Food Industry A glance of the profit margins of the major players in the US industry will provide a more clear perception of the fast food industry’s success in 2009 in global perspective: Key Competitors Profits 2009 […]
Global Challenges Faced By Fast Food Companies For instance the price strategy is usually determined by a number of factors such as the number of competitors in the market, the availability and costs of raw materials and the existent product substitutes in […]
The Fast Food Industry Lots of people claim that the growth of the rate of obese people correlates with the growth of fast food chains in the region.
The Consequences of Fast Food The most evident effect of fast food is obesity among others and these effects are what will be considered as the basis of discouraging the intake of fast food while encouraging other healthier options.
Wendy’s Fast Food Restaurant The design has the potential to elaborate on the cause of failures inherent in the establishment and possess the capacity to make recommendations on combating the challenges.
Influencing Consumer Behavior: the changing image of ‘fast food’ Some of the factors that consumers may be influenced with include the cost, what their friends and family members say, where the restaurant is located, the duration the meal takes, and by how the consumers […]
Employment Relations in Fast Food Restaurants It is therefore imperative to ensure the comfort of employees and for good employment relations to be built and extended there are certain advantages and legal constitutions that have to be established for the sake […]
Causes and Effects of Fast Food: Reputation for Unhealthy Eating By setting this price to a low value, fast food companies can exclude traditional restaurants from the selection, improve throughput, and increase their brand equity.
Social Media Marketing Plan: Subway Fast Food Attract The main objective of this digital marketing plan is to attract the younger customers’ market through the Subway’s website and a twitter fun page in order to increase the customer traffic in its stores.
The Film “Super Size Me 2: Holy Chicken!”: How the Fast Food Industry Interacts With Its Customers Another obvious cause and effect relationship portrayed in the film concerns the rise in the threat of diseases such as diabetes as the effect of the food choices that McDonald’s provides to its customers.
Fast Food Ban Necessity in Schools Schools should not offer fast foods because they lead to the development of bad habits, long-time health complications and influence students to spend money unnecessarily.
Fast Food and Gender: Is There a Relation? The study was to observe the gender that formed the majority of the customer base in respect to fast foods. In this case, it was important to select a predetermined restaurant that specializes in fast […]
Fast Food Drive-throughs In this respect, the drive-through services are aimed at reducing the throughput time and serving a maximum number of clients in the minimum time compared to other similar services.s such, it is necessary to compare […]
Improvements of Supply Chain Processes in the Fast Food Industry: Subway The purposes of the research are to analyze the service delivery stage of the internal supply chain process typical of the Subway restaurants located in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates; identify drawbacks in these areas […]
Impact of Fast Food on Human Body Firstly, it is the economics of fast food fast food is the cheapest food on the market in terms of a calorie per dollar.
HRM in the Fast Food Industry: US, Germany, and Australia It should be mentioned that the term human-resource relations refers to the programs that an organization puts in place in order to ensure that the employees receive the benefits that are guaranteed by legislation.
The Jungle and Fast Food Nation Though both books talk about the food industry and the ills that plague it, it is important to establish that, Eric Schlosser’s aim of writing Fast Food Nation was to make the public know the […]
Fast Food Industry in the US This paper will discuss the fast food industry in the US with an emphasis on the positive as well as the negative impacts it has on American economy.
Fast Food History and Global Presence The popularity of fast-food restaurants at the time could be associated with the increased numbers of people moving to the city centers during the Great Depression.
Green Management in Fast Food Restaurants The corporations have to acquire large amounts of capital to operate efficiently and survive in the market because of the high demand of social responsibility in the food industry.
The Fast Food Mass Production Problem Mass production was planned as a phenomenon to ensure the supply of food in sufficient quantities to cover the loss of production in the sale and, at the same time, meet the economic needs of […]
The Environment of Fast Food Chains The basic research question is based upon the fact as what is actual scenario of HK fast food industry and what marketing strategies are being used commonly by the industry?
The Culture of Fast Food Consumption Thesis Statement: The purchase of fast food is largely driven by the convenience of purchase, enjoyment of taste, and pricing. However, it is worth sorting out the reasons for consuming fast food and the main […]
The Reasons Behind the Popularity of Fast Food in the Context of the Lebanese Market Nowadays, in Beirut, the variety of traditional dishes which can be prepared quickly and served as fast food is amazing, from the kebab, to the falafel; most dishes are represented.
Media Plan of a Fast Food Chain Subway Food The uniqueness and importance of this media for Subway Foods is that the sender of the advertising message, who can be regarded as the seller, does not know in advance what he will receive in […]
An Analysis of Marketing Strategies of Local vs. International Brands in the Fast Food Sector This comes as no surprise, considering that the UK is one of the world’s largest economies in the world, has one of Europe’s highest populations and is the largest consumer of fast food in the […]
Fast Foods More Harm Than Good The rest of the life of such a child is upsetting as the child is ridiculed in and out of school, through his/her adolescence, and even in college.
The Fast-Food Industry and Legal Accountability for Obesity The principle of least harm in ethics is closely associated with the fast food industry; this is mainly because of the basic fact that fast food increases chances of obesity to its consumers.
Motivational Issues in the Fast Food Sector Fast food refers to a type of cuisine produced in mass and marketed by some eateries, presentation stands, and service establishments for fast and effective production and delivery.
Fast Food, Fat Profits: Obesity in America With the current trends in the consumption of foods, statistics show that, by the year 2015, a third of America will be obese.
American Fast Food in Foreign Countries On the one hand, fast food chains like McDonald’s are at risk of pushing local cafes away, leading the latter to bankruptcy.
Fast Food: What We Eat by Eric Schlosser The industry became the cause of multiple economic trends and shifted the behaviors of consumers. In conclusion, the fast-food industry has had a great influence on economics, society, and politics.
The Effects of Fast Food Consumption on Obesity Afterward, Lane et al.combined homogeneous conditions and conducted a meta-analysis to determine the effect of fast food consumption on their development.
Fast Food Restaurant: Emergency Procedure It is essential to lay out a clear communication plan to ensure the team maintains functional capacity during a hurricane threat.
Drive-Thru Dreams and Fast Food Nation by Adam Chandler In the introduction to his book, Drive-Thru Dreams: A Journey through the Heart of America’s Fast-Food Kingdom, Adam Chandler uses pathos as the central appeal to convince the audience in the strength of his reasoning.
Fast Food Effects on Human Health The phenomenon results in the ideological perspectives of increased obesity and the emergence of lifestyle diseases. The popularity and consumption rate of fast-food restaurants is one of the trending issues in cities and towns.
Slow and Fast Food Values by Alice Waters Uniformity is a fast-food value that causes people to lose their individuality because of the pressure to conform. Awareness is a fundamental value in the current fast-food world.
McDonald’s in the International Fast Food Market In her article, Visard discusses the current position of McDonald’s in the international fast food market and the food chain’s most recent attempts to adapt its resource spending and product positioning strategies during the ongoing […]
Employee Retention & Staff Turnover in Fast Food Industry Whilst the recruitment strategy errors include the lack of such documents as A Set of Competencies and The Perfect Candidate, the lack of recruitment specialists, and the provision of insufficient information to the candidate. It […]
Customer Loyalty in Fast Food Industry Under Current Economic Crisis The objective of this research is to evaluate different customer loyalty programs offered by companies operating in the UK Fast Food Industry to induce more sales and assess their effectiveness amid of the current economic […]
Promoting Fast Food Ingredient Awareness The result of this progress has been the spread of the concept of fast food, meals for those who are busy and do not want to burden themselves with cooking.
The Fast Food Restaurant Market of Canada More than 100 various franchising offers Growing demand for fast food restaurant franchising Wide variety of demanded franchises with diverse prices and distinct revenue potential Growing possibilities to utilize disposable income, which increases proportionally […]
Ideology of Fast Food Industry Development Demonstrating the parallel that can be drawn between fast food and the ideology values such as the fast pace life and consumerism, it is important to stress that several values resulted from the formation and […]
The Fast Food Culture in Saudi Arabia The increased consumption of fast food is an issue that has gripped the attention of healthcare providers worldwide. The high incidence of diabetes is perhaps the most notable effect of the excessive consumption of fast […]
Obesity Prevalence and Fast Food Restaurant Prevalence The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between obesity prevalence and fast food restaurant prevalence in the United States.
Regulation of the Fast Food Industry: Review The rapid growth of the fast food industry has led to the high consumption of fast food by many people. The extraordinary growth of the fast food industry has been driven by fundamental changes in […]
Fast Food: What Is Really in It? Fast food restaurants use TBHQ to eliminate oxidation of fats and oils in order to prolong the expiry date of their foods.
“The Bitter Truth About Fast Food” by Schlosser While such a regulation is hard to follow, it has been proved that some natural ingredients used in the manufacturing of flavors pose more health risks than artificial ingredients.
Biotechnology and Animal Welfare: How Genetically Modified Chicken Serves the Demand in Fast Food Chains Beef was the most often used meat for the restaurants due to its containing in burgers, however, in 2020, the tendency started to move in the direction of chicken consumption.
”The Ritual of Fast Food” by Margaret Visser At the pace of modern life, people often do not have time to dine fully, and then fast food comes to the rescue.
Fast Food Nation in the “Omnivore’s Dilemma” by M. Pollan The author’s main purpose in writing this text could be summarized as a plea to food-conscious people that there is more to what they do not know about the food they eat.
Fast Food Industry: Five Forces of Success The possible threat of market saturation by new sellers inflowing the market. The strength of rivalry or competition in the food industry as franked by existing markets is a pronouncement that helps in the determination […]
Marketing Case B: Freddy Favors Fast Food and Convenience for College Students Problem Objective Opinion Areas of Strength Areas of Concern Recommendation Conclusion The service and products that are to be offered in a food joint for college students is a problem, as it would require […]
Branding of Fast Food Industry: Sound and Strategic Brand According to Thomson and Rampton the brand image should be able to provide customers with a degree of excellence and comfort, making them outshine from the rest of the group that is they provide a […]
The Use of Fast Food Meals in the United State This study focused to investigate the western theory change of lifestyles and it intended to examine the quality of the fast-food meals in the United States industries.
Environmental Analysis for a New Fast Food Chain in Australia The viability of the restaurant will depend, in a large part, on the stability of the host government as well as the strength of the host country’s political system.
Fast Food Empire: ”Behind the Counter” by Schlosser Schlosser underlines that the fast food problem in society, culture, and identity is presenting all Americans with profound dilemmas- that are badly in need of clarification and resolution of real life values and ideals Schlosser […]
Opportunism in Fast Food Chains: Schlosser’s ‘Behind the Counter’ The fast-food chains employ the most disadvantaged members of the American society and provide only training on basic job skills such as getting to work on time.
Fast Food Epidemic: The Dark Side of American Meal Various reports and studies signify the trends of huge marketing campaigns of fast food chains and the significant correlation this has with fast food consumption.
Technology in the British Fast Food Industry The use of modern smartphones and apps is an emerging trend that will continue to dictate the performance of business organizations.
Fast Food Restaurants and Buyers’ Responsibility Fast food and chain restaurants sell their products, but they do not force people to buy them. Thus, people are to be responsible for their behavior and understand the danger of unhealthy food.
The Work at “Checkers” Fast Food Restaurant The position of a cook is much different, as they are the person who carries out the duties and supports the infrastructure of the restaurant.
“Fast Food Nation” Movie by Richard Linklater This is a story of how one of the most favorite things in the country is destroying people’s health and undermining the belief that the world is a friendly and kind place where people love […]
Obesity in Hispanic Adolescents and Fast Food Most of these, however, describe the relationship existing between the prevalence of diabetes in the population and the consumption of fast foods.
Fast Food, Obesity, Depression, and Other Issues However, in busy communities, fast foods are increasingly being the preferred choice of food because of their price and convenience and that is why they are commonly served in many hotels, cafes and even some […]
Fast Food Consumption in New Jersey (United States) The survey aimed at evaluating the consumption of fast foods amongst the residents of New Jersey in the USA. Other objectives that were considered during the study included determination of whether the habit contributed to […]
Factors Contributing to Fast Food Consumption in UAE Nevertheless, the transformation from homemade food to fast food has been so severe and widespread that people have become addicted to fast food in the UAE.
The Fast Food Danger Awareness Among the Young People However, it is worrying that many people in this society are not aware of the dangers that this industry poses to young people.
Blue Springs Fast Food Store vs. Blue Gardens Restaurant Analysis The lighting is moderated to give the facility a unique ambiance, and the color of the walls is also very attractive.
Fast Food War in Singapore: The Stiff Competition and Fight for Customers In this case, the market conditions will allow the firm to choose product attributes that counter the products of their competitors.
Should Fast Food Qualify As “Food”? Nowadays, it became a commonplace practice among many people to suggest that fast food cannot be considered areal.’ This, of course, implies that the consumption of fast food can hardly be considered beneficial to the […]
Fast Food Industry and Its Impacts The experiment made in the film shows how consuming of the fast food influences the human body, presents a visual demonstration of the processes happening in our inside organs under the influence of chemicals contained […]
The Practice of Fast Food in the United States This survey concluded that fast food consumption entails a large intake of junk foods as well as a reduction in the intake of healthy foods.
Analysis of the Documentary Fast Food, Fat Profits This is one of the issues that can be distinguished. This is one of the limitations that can be singled out.
Obesity and Fast Food In fact, a larger proportion of the gains in the body mass arise from the escalating promotional activities carried out by the fast-food producing companies such as McDonalds.
The economical aspects and different perspectives for fast food industry in Canada Figure 1: The leading fast-food companies in Canada Source: Reiter Slcfred stated that Mcdinalds had more than 31000 outlets all over the world, among them 5% restaurants or 1550 outlets are in Canada and highest […]
Challenges Inherent in Repositioning a Fast Food Chain Much money has to be spent during the repositioning process, and, in a period of financial crisis, as is the current situation, it is very important to come up with some cost-effective strategies to succeed […]
The Fast-food Industry in Russia For example, the legislation guaranteed the right of workers to organize themselves in labour unions, strike and even challenge the decisions that are made by the management The Russian federation labour laws are a combination […]
An Analysis of Fast Freeze Foods Ltd This paper focuses on the successes of his management in managing the performance of the company to ensure success in such a turbulent industry as the company is operating.
Healthy Fast Food Restaurant The project committee has ensured that this project has a number of strengths as it is introduced in this competitive market.
Deli Depot Fast Food Restaurants Strategy Objectives To improve on the sales of the business hence increasing the profit margin To strategise on how to take over the market from other competitors To come up with a good team of employees […]
Fast Food on Campus: When Affordable Meals Overshadow the Nutrition Issues Starting Positively Much to the credit of fast food and the companies producing it, there are also a number of positive aspects of providing fast food on the territory of campus.
The Fast Food Chains “Five Guys” in the USA Five Guys is one of the fastest growing fast food chains in the USA and it is now expanding overseas. One of the reasons for such a success is the thoughtful philosophy of the fast […]
Fast Food’s Main Detrimental Effects This state of affairs is perfectly explainable, because during the course of recent decades, the effects of a lengthened consumption of fast food on one’s health remained the subject of a number of heated public […]
“The Omnivore’s Dilemma: The Search for a Perfect Meal in a Fast-Food World” by Michael Pollan The poultry helps in the spreading of manure as the chicken looks for larvae to eat. There are a lot of processed foods available in the market such that one is spoilt for choice.
Comparison Between the Jungle and Fast Food Nation The writer of the book came up with suggestion on what ought to be done to eliminate the issue of minimal salaries among the citizens, hence, improve the living standards of the people in the […]
Increased Nutrition Regulations on Fast Food Restaurants Some critics believe that federal policy to increase the cost of healthy food has led to the increase in consumption of the cheaper alternative i.e.fast food.
Impacts of Fast Food on Childhood Eating Habits The author’s claim that lack of nutritional information on fast food packaging is a major cause of obesity among children and teenagers is not true.
The Nature of Fast Food Advertising in North American & Its Influence The nature of fast food advertising in North America is such that most fast food restaurants depict the advantages of eating fast food in a bid to entice the clients.
Fast Food, Quick Problem Emergence, Rapid Addiction and Slow Recovery Process Because of the growing popularity of the fast food products, the concern for the effect that the fast food meals have on the population is growing increasingly big, yet the solutions for the problems and […]
Fast Food and Hate Groups Harvey would lay his hands on the member’s heads to reconfirm them to the group after which the members would swear an oath to Harvey and Pendgrass that they will uphold the beliefs and convictions […]
How Has the Fast Food Industry Changed From the 1950s to the Present?
What Are the Causes of Popularity for Fast Food Restaurants?
Are Fast Food and Junk Food Companies Ethically Responsible for Customers?
What Are the Effects of Eating Fast Food?
How Did Jollibee Build Its Position in the Philippine Fast Food Industry?
What Are the Key Success Factors That Make the Fast Food Business Model Work?
Does Consumer Preference Shift Away From Fast Food?
What Constitutes Good Customer Service and Makes a Company in the Fast Food Industry Indispensable?
How Are Fast Food Advertising and Childhood Obesity Related?
What Makes Chipotle Unique Among Other Fast Food Chains?
Can Apps Make Fast Food Even Faster?
How Is Fast Food Changing American Food Culture?
Why Isn’t Fast Food Cheaper Than Healthy Food?
Are Fast Food Restaurants to Blame for Obesity?
How Can Fitness Overcome Fast Food?
What Marketing Strategies Use McDonald’s to Compete With Burger King in the Fast Food Industry?
Why Are Fast Food Restaurants Popular?
How Has Healthy Living Culture Brought About Changes in the Fast Food Industry?
Does Fast Food Have a Possible Connection With Obesity?
How Do Eco Activists Take Action Towards the Fast Food Industries?
Should Fast Food Advertisements Be Banned?
What Retention Strategies Can Be Used by Fast Food Companies?
How Do Life Styles Affect the Consumption of Fast Food?
Should Fast Food Companies Be Held Responsibility for Children’s Obesity?
How Did McDonald’s Change Fast Food?
Should Fast Food Only Be Sold to People Eighteen and Older?
How Has the Recession Affected the Fast Food Sector?
Should Schools Serve Fast Food Like Mcdonald’s?
What Are Most Serious Negative Effects of Eating Fast Food?
Why Should Americans Eat Less Fast Food?
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Do fast food restaurants surrounding schools affect childhood obesity?

Jebaraj asirvatham.

a Department of Agribusiness Economics, Southern Illinois University Carbondale, IL, United States

Michael R. Thomsen

b Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, AR, United States

Rodolfo M. Nayga, Jr.

Anthony goudie.

c Arkansas Center for Health Improvement Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI), Little Rock, AR, United States

In this study, we estimate the effect of fast food environment surrounding schools on childhood body mass index (BMI). We use two methods that arrive at a similar conclusion, but with different implications. Using school distance from the nearest federal highway to instrument for restaurant location, we find the surrounding restaurants to only marginally affect a student’s BMI measure. The effect size also decreases with increasing radial distances from school, 0.016 standard deviations at one-third of a mile and 0.0032 standard deviations at a mile radial distance. This indicates the decreasing influence of restaurants on a child’s BMI as its distance from school increases. On a subset of students who were exogenously assigned to different school food environment, we find no effect of the fast food restaurants. An important contextual aspect is that nearly all schools in this sample observed closed campus policy, which does not allow students to leave campus during lunch hours.

1. Introduction

Rising rates in childhood obesity have become an important worldwide health and public policy issue. Even though this has received more attention in the United States, childhood obesity is a growing problem in other countries, including those in Europe and Asia. Because the majority of children attend public schools, there is much interest in regulating the food environment in schools to promote health objectives ( Story et al., 2009 ; Sharma et al., 2009 ). France, for example, banned food promotion in schools, whereas Mexico and India have banned sales of sodas and certain unhealthy foods in schools ( Villanueva, 2011 ; Barquera et al., 2013 ; Khandelwal and Reddy, 2013 ). In the US, regulation has mostly focused on school meals and those foods stocked in school vending machines 1 . Addressing childhood obesity has become a policy priority, especially because obesity during childhood may continue into adulthood ( Serdula et al., 1993 ).

Most public policy efforts have focused on school lunches and other food products sold within the school. There is a growing concern, however, that fast food restaurants around schools might increase caloric intake among children and thereby increase obesity ( Davis and Carpenter, 2009 ). There are incentives for fast-food restaurants, especially national chains, to target children for increasing current sales and creating brand loyalty. This is more apparent among hamburger fast food restaurants, sandwich places, and pizzerias ( Austin et al., 2005 ). Collectively, we will refer to these three restaurant types as fast food restaurants .

An important question of public policy relevance is to know whether the presence of fast food restaurants around schools have any effect on childhood obesity. We seek to identify the effect of fast food restaurants surrounding schools on a child’s BMI. Estimating the causal effect of fast food restaurants surrounding schools, however, is challenging due to: a) self-selection of families into neighborhoods; b) omitted variable bias; and c) selection of fast food restaurants in into neighborhoods according to fast-food demand. Self-selection of parents due to occupation, education or other reasons could create neighborhoods that could be similar in their attitude towards health and well-being of their children. Omitted variables in the determination of a child’s BMI could include features of the school food environment.

We address biases in the estimation using an instrumental variables approach, where the instrument is the proximity of the school to US highways that create a demand for fast food restaurants to serve highway travelers. This instrument has been used in several studies (for example, Dunn, 2010 ; Anderson and Matsa, 2011 ). In addition to this method, we estimate individual-level fixed effects for a subset of students who were exogenously reassigned to another school. This strategy follows that used by Asirvatham et al. (2018) in their analysis of peer effects. Both these methods arrive at a similar conclusion – fast food restaurants surrounding schools have a negligible effect on BMI outcomes of school children. The analytic sample is based on measured BMI records from an ongoing BMI screening program within the Arkansas public school system.

There are several ways that fast food restaurants surrounding schools could influence BMI outcomes. First, fast food restaurants and pizzerias offer calorie-dense foods that play a direct role in obesity. Even though most schools in this study observe closed campuses, a high density of restaurants around schools will generally increase the likelihood that students visit restaurants before or after school hours either unsupervised with friends or with a parent or caregiver. Second, restaurants located nearby reduces travel cost to obtain food. It could also be that proximity disincentivizes traveling longer distances to purchase healthier foods. Third, exposure to the sight of restaurants might increase the likelihood that children would choose fast foods after being exposed to fast food restaurants en route from school to home. Fast food signage could reinforce marketing messages aimed at children and increase likelihood of fast food requests on food-away-from-home meal occasions. School meals can be served as early as 10:30 am and many children will be hungry at the end of the school day. The presence of fast foods in school environment could thus increase desire for fast foods on other dining occasions regardless of whether the child consumes fast food on the way to or from school. Finally, teachers who leave campus for lunch could bring in items from restaurants (e.g., drink cups) and thereby model fast food as a reasonable meal choice. This is similar to the argument that advertisements targeting children might increase fast food consumption ( Jashinsky et al., 2017 ). Study participants in Cambridge-shire, UK, who faced a greater exposure to fast food outlets showed higher intake of takeaway food ( Burgoine et al., 2014 ).

2. Contribution to the current literature on fast food and obesity

Much of the work in this line of research provides some evidence of a positive association or correlation of obesity rates or BMI with restaurant availability or proximity ( Williams et al., 2014 ). Most of the studies are correlational and therefore it is difficult to imply any causality. In this section, we discuss few of the studies that have conducted a more rigorous analysis going beyond correlation or association. These studies in general find a small effect.

Three studies used an instrumental variables strategy based on proximity to highways (or highway on/off ramps), to estimate the impact of fast food density on body weight outcomes among adults. In a county-level study, Dunn (2010) used the number of exits on a highway within a county to instrument for the number of restaurants in a county and finds restaurant availability to effect only females and non-whites in medium-density counties in 11 states. Such a relationship was not found in rural or low-density counties. In a similar study on residents of central Texas, Dunn et al. (2012) reported only non-whites to exhibit higher obesity rates in response to fast food exposure. These authors also used distance to the nearest major highway as an instrument for the fast-food restaurant. Anderson and Matsa (2011) find no effect of fast food restaurants. They also exploit the variation in travel costs of local residents to restaurants along interstate highways, which primarily serves travelers. Using related data, they observed that obese individuals complement eating outside by consuming nutritionally deficient or “junk foods.” They conclude that policies focusing solely on regulating fast food restaurants may not achieve any significant reduction in BMI.

The above studies examine adult populations. Two studies analyze fast food restaurants around schools and find fast food restaurants to significantly affect childhood obesity rates. Currie et al. (2010) uses a cross-sectional sample of students from grade 9 in public schools in California. In their study, the effect is identified by comparing groups of individuals at only slightly different distances to a restaurant (i.e., of only one-tenth of a mile). They measure changes in exposure, with obesity being measured as the fraction of obese students at the grade-level in a school. In their study, they use changes in obesity prevalence in the same grade (grade 9) but across different years. Alviola et al. (2014) study the public school sample in Arkansas. Following the earlier studies on adult populations, their instrumental variable was the distance of school from the nearest highway. Using school-level cross-sectional data, they report coefficients that measure the difference in obesity rates across schools that face different restaurant counts. Their study estimates a 1.23 percentage point increase in school obesity rates in response to an additional restaurant within a one-mile radius from a school. In this article, we also focus on Arkansas public schoolchildren. However, unlike Alviola et al.’s (2014) school-level analysis, this study uses individual-level analysis of BMI z-scores over time; i.e, we use student -level panel data in contrast to the school -level cross-sectional data they used. In addition to an identification strategy based on an IV estimation using distance of schools to the nearest highway as an instrument, we also employ an additional identification strategy based on a plausibly exogenous reorganization of public schools that caused some children to be reassigned to a new school zone. Hence, these re-assigned students face a new food environment in their newly assigned school.

The present article extends these studies in several ways. One, we have a unique panel dataset, which gives us the ability to measure changes within a student and estimate fixed effects at the individual level. Several of the previous studies use obesity rates (proportion of obese adults or children) or obesity status (a binary variable). We are able to estimate the impact on precise changes in BMI in terms of standard deviations of the child’s BMI z-score. Two, in contrast to several past studies, the BMI data used here are measured by trained personnel, as opposed to being self-reported. Three, we control for the commercial food environment near a child’s residence with precise geographic information. It is important to control for other sources of calories because this could influence the quality and quantity of food consumed. Four, asmentioned above, this study uses two methods to identify the effect of fast food availability around schools on children’s BMI z-scores: IV and the exogenous assignment of students to nearby schools as a result of a court-mandated restructuring program. These are discussed in detail in the section Identification Strategies.

The primary aim of this study is to estimate the effect of fast food restaurants surrounding schools on childhood obesity. The variation in a student’s exposure to fast food restaurants comes in two ways. One, change in the count of restaurants surrounding schools. Two, students moving to different schools either because of a natural progression through the public school system or by just relocating within the state and, thereby, to another school. In this dataset, about 42 percent of the students relocated but remained in the public schools in Arkansas. A child’s BMI could be influenced by several environmental factors inside schools, outside of schools, within the family, and within the community, some of which could be related to the density of fast food restaurants. Our data allow us to control for several observable factors. However, note that the coefficient on the number of fast food restaurants takes into account only the covariation between the restaurant count around the school and BMI z-score. Food intake from home might bias the coefficient of interest, but we include variables that capture the commercial food environment around a student’s residence, including distance to nearest grocery, dollar store, convenience store, fast food, pizzeria and sandwich place. To the extent household behaviors towards food consumption persist with time, the inclusion of student-level fixed effects can be advantageous as they difference out unobserved time-invariant factors that might be correlated with the variable of interest.

In terms of the features of the food environment within schools, all schools were subject to Act 1220 of 2003. Act 1220 required nutrition standards to be applied to all foods and beverages sold or made available to maintain a healthy school environment. For example, Act 1220 requires 50% vended beverages to be a healthy choice such as water, 100% fruits juice and low-fat/fat-free milk. Act 1220 was in effect across Arkansas during the entire study period. Thus, we do not expect wide variation in within school environment across schools in terms of the food and physical education/activity environment. Other factors within schools could play some role. For example, peers may influence diet and physical activity choices that might then influence body weight. One challenge with including peers’ variable is that it brings with it into the model a host of other biases. As described in Asirvatham et al. (2018), these biases could further complicate the model. We, therefore, do not include peers’ weight variable but include school-level percentages of different race groups and meal status. Both of these are correlated with obesity and, therefore, to some extent account for peers influence ( Boyd et al., 2011 ). Nevertheless, we acknowledge that the methods used here can only partially addresses the biases created by unobserved changes within the school environment during the study period.

There could also be common factors at the community-level that might drive restaurant counts. Consider a town with a population that does not demand high calorie foods. Such a population might also have lower restaurant counts in the near vicinity of schools. One implication of such demand is that the lower income population might demand lower-cost food products, which are often provided by fast food restaurants. To address all of these biases, we use an instrument that drives the fast food restaurants’ location choice.

4. Identification strategies

We estimate the effect on two samples, one on the whole student population and the other on a subsample of students who were exogenously reassigned to other schools in response to a court-mandated reorganization of schools and districts. This allows us to test for possible mechanisms of the effect and propose some recommendation to reduce its effect on BMI outcomes. Although complementary, the analyses we conducted using these two samples provide different insights. We utilized the instrumental variables approach on the larger student population for whom all information was available, and then exploited a natural experiment of exogenous school assignment of a subset of students in response to a court-mandated school restructuring. Below we discuss both methods in detail.

4.1. Instrumental variable (IV) method

The instrument we use is the distance of the school to the nearest interstate or US highway. This has been well established in the literature. Dunn (2010) ; Anderson and Matsa (2011) , Dunn et al. (2012) , and Alviola et al. (2014) use some measure of highway proximity as an instrumental variable for fast food restaurants. Fast food restaurants locate in places where there is demand for the products they offer. By locating closer to highways, fast food restaurants are able to profit from the demand from travelers, but this could exogenously increases exposure to fast-food restaurants for those living near major highways, or in our case for schools located close to major highways. The identifying assumption is that nearness to highway is a factor in restaurant location decisions. That is, nearness to highway is a factor in restaurant location decisions because proximity to interstate and US highways might bring in firms supplying services and products to travelers.

Using County Business Patterns data, Dunn (2010) shows that interstate exits drive the location of fast food establishments in way that is different from other businesses. He also shows that number of interstate exits is not correlated with other healthy behaviors, such as fruit and vegetable consumption and physical activities. Dunn (2010) discusses both aspects of demand and supply that could bias an estimate. For example, higher demand for fast food could lead to more restaurants. On the other hand, residents with preference for health could enforce restrictions on location and number of fast food restaurants. He concludes that the direction of the bias is generally positive.

In our context, schools factoring in distance from state and federal highways might violate the exclusion restriction. This violation would occur because a school’s decision and a restaurant’s decision are influenced by the same explanatory variable. Even though some states do stipulate school construction to be at a distance from highways, Arkansas only stipulates distance from any source of sound that produces 65 decibels sustained and 75 decibels peak 2 . Thus, we argue that the distance of schools from highway in the context of policies in place in Arkansas does not violate the exclusion restriction.

During our study period, the locations of highways are fixed. However, students change schools as part of a natural progression through the public-school system and this creates time series variation in the distance between the child’s school and highway. The instrument used in the literature, in general, considers only interstate highway, but due to the sparseness of interstate highways in Arkansas, as shown by Alviola et al. (2014) , we consider both interstate and US highways for our instrument. 5 The standard way to include the IV in an equation is to use it as a single variable. In this study, we include it in two different ways. Firstly, as a single continuous variable. Secondly, to control for a non-linear relationship, the IV is split into segments based on different radial distances from the school to the highway. Since we estimate the effect at one-third, two-thirds, and a mile, the instrument is split into four parts, namely one-third mile, two-thirds mile, a mile, and more than a mile. A school that is a third of a mile away from the nearest federal highway will have the specific distance in the subvariable for one-third mile, with zeros in other sub-variables. This is tantamount to relaxing the assumption that the instrument has a unique linear relationship with the endogenous variable.

4.2. Exogenous assignment to schools

In addition to the instrumental variable method, we analyze a subsample of students who were exogenously assigned to different schools. This subsample of 2739 observations constitutes a small fraction of the total 1,352,696 observations in the main analysis sample, but provides a complementary analysis to the IV methods explained above.

The strategy is similar to that pursued by Asirvatham et al. (2018) in their analysis of peer effects using the Arkansas BMI data. As explained in this earlier study, the exogenous reassignment was created by a court mandated restructuring of public schools. In 1992, the Lake View School District and other plaintiffs claimed that the school funding system was unconstitutional. In the Lake View School District No. 25 v. Huckabee case, the Arkansas Supreme Court ruled that the state educational funding was unconstitutional. To meet the court mandate, the State passed the Public Education Reorganization Act, Act 60, during the Second Extraordinary Session of 2003.

School reorganization thus occurred to overhaul the public school funding system. Since the primary motivation was not to restructure the schools to improve students’ health and because the legislation was passed in a special session of the state legislature in response to the court ruling, we posit that this restructuring created an exogenous school assignment for the students it affected.

There were two ways the State sought to comply with the court decision: either through consolidation or annexation for all districts with fewer than 350 students. Consolidation involved cutting administrative overhead by bringing schools and/or school districts under fewer management personnel. Annexation required physically closing school locations and have the children attend a nearby school that met the criterion set by the legislature. Thus, annexation created a change in school of attendance that was plausibly exogenous.

An exogenous reassignment to other schools more directly addresses the issue of self-selection into schools. This reassignment, we argue, is largely uncorrelated with observables and unobservables that determine BMI outcomes. This is especially valid because the students are not in their original school attendance zone, which then largely rules out common factors or linkages between student BMI outcomes and restaurant location around their re-assigned school. In the results section, we discuss differences between annexed schools and reassigned schools.

In an effort to combat high rates of childhood obesity, the Arkansas General Assembly passed the Act 1220 of 2003. Among other things, this legislation mandated that public schoolchildren be assessed for BMI beginning in the 2003–2004 school year. BMI screenings have been ongoing since that time. We use these BMI screenings as the main data source in this study. The Arkansas Center for Health Improvement (ACHI) led the development and implementation of the state-wide BMI assessment process. 13 ACHI developed a statewide protocol for standardized measurements across the state. Height and weight measurements are measured by trained personnel in schools and are reported to ACHI. The dataset we use includes BMI z-scores, race, gender and participation in free or reduced lunches. These data also include the weight status of each child, which based on reference growth charts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Only those students with at least two BMI observations are included in our analysis sample. Medical professionals and the Centers for Disease Control & Prevention (CDC) use BMI z-scores as a general indicator to track body weight progress among children. As a child grows, so does his/her body weight and height. The BMI z-score takes into account this growth and development, which also differs by sex. The BMI z-score provides a uniform measure of body weight across our sample that contains children that differ by age and sex.

Our empirics are based on a panel dataset covering the years 2004–2010. One problem we confronted in assembling the data set is that state policy relating to the frequency of BMI measurement changed during our study period. From 2004 to 2007, the BMI of school children was measured annually for all grades. Thereafter, BMI was measured and reported only for children in even-numbered grades inclusive of kindergarten. Thus, we have BMI prevalence rates for students from all grades from 2004 through 2007, but only for students in even grades after 2007. The non-reporting of obesity prevalence in odd grades after 2007 should not bias our estimates, since the decision to stop measuring the BMI of children in odd-numbered grades was exogenous in that it was not made by the child, the child’s family, or the child’s school. However, this change in reporting does affect our ability to take into account BMI changes in a consistent fashion over time.

Another source of data we bring into the analysis is location of food businesses. These are based on Dun & Bradstreet business lists and include restaurants, grocers, and other food stores. Details on the construction of the food environment are provided in the Appendix . Using Geographic Information System (GIS) software, we create measures of the commercial food environment around schools and residences. These variables measure the number and type of restaurants at varying radial distances from schools in the increments of a third of a mile up to a mile. Specifically, we measure the number of fast food restaurants, sandwich places and pizzerias. Measures of the food environment around a student’s residence include distance to the nearest grocery store, dollar store, convenience store, fast food restaurant, pizzeria, and sandwich place.

Fast food restaurant counts may reflect local demand for fast food. To the best of the authors’ knowledge, all but one school had a “closed campus” policy during the study period. Seniors in this high school had the option of eating out during the lunch period with school permission. Students in the sample would not generally have sanctioned access to fast foods during the school day suggesting that access would be primarily before and after school hours. We also restricted the sample to those less than 18 years old.

5.1. Annexed sample

Table 1 presents the summary statistics of the entire population of students included in the analysis (called the general sample) and also compares it to the students who were reassigned to a different school (called the annexed sample). Students in the general sample differ from those students who were reassigned to a different school in certain characteristics. The BMI z-scores in the annexed sample are 0.05 standard deviations larger than the overall sample. There is a negligible difference across gender proportion. Annexed schools, however, had 27 percentage points more African American students and 21 percentage points less Caucasian students. The annexed sample also had a higher percentage of students qualifying for free lunches, 65% compared to 43% among all schools. In terms of the commercial food environment, students in annexed schools were further away from all of the measured food establishments. This sample also had slightly more rural students. The summary statistics generally reflect the communities that were affected by this school restructuring process. For instance, this reform closed smaller schools and integrated them into larger schools. Smaller schools are predominantly in the rural areas. Overall, differences in school-level demographic characteristics between the general sample and the annexed schools are markedly different in terms of race, household income, urbanization and access to some of the most important food establishments.

Summary statistics.

One concern in the restructuring process is if students were reassigned to schools with similar characteristics or in similar neighborhoods. Asirvatham et al. (2018) assessed differences in the schools that closed and the schools to which students from the closed schools were reassigned. Data on children from the sending schools, i.e., annexed schools, constitute the second analytic sample we used in our analysis. This exogenous assignment addresses the issue of self-selection because, had it not been for the annexation, these students would not otherwise be attending a school outside of their original attendance zone. Asirvatham et al. (2018) found significant differences in percent free and reduced lunch between sending schools and receiving schools indicating that the schools differed in socioeconomic characteristics. However, by the nature of the school restructuring process and difference in student population characteristics, we can affirm that a student’s current BMI is unlikely to be correlated with unobserved factors at the new school.

6. Econometric model

Our basic model to estimate the effect of fast food restaurants surrounding schools on student BMI is:

where Y it is the BMI z-score of the i th student in time t ; R k(i)t is the restaurant counts around the k th school of the i th student at time t ; X it is a vector of student i ’s characteristics; X k(i)t is a vector depicting demographic student characteristics at the school-level in school k where student i attends, including proportion of students of different race categories and gender and percent qualifying for free and reduced lunch; F it is the vector of commercial food environment near the residence of student i which includes distance to nearest grocery, dollar store, convenience store, fast food, pizzeria and sandwich place; and U i is the error term which equals μ i + ε it , where μ i is the unobserved time invariant component and ε it is the spherical error term. Variables measuring different aspects of the commercial food environment around student’s school and residence were constructed using GIS software and geolocation of the schools, food establishments and student residence. To tease out the effect of distance of the fast food restaurants from schools, we developed three variables measuring the number of fast food restaurants within different radial distances from school, namely one-third of a mile, two-thirds of a mile, and a mile. Besides the number of restaurants at different radial distances, we also created two sets of variables with different combinations of restaurants. One included only fast food restaurants and the other included fast food, sandwiches and pizzerias.

The panel nature of the data and the amount of information on students, schools and food environment allow us to control for individual and school-level characteristics, and also to use student-level fixed effects that further reduces the endogeneity bias due to omitted variables in the estimate. Since there could be year-to-year changes in a student’s BMI that if not accounted for might bias the estimates, we also estimate a two-way FE model by adding binary variables for different years in the data period. Thus, the two-way FE models include both student-level fixed effects and year fixed effects. Note that the observations are annual so year fixed effects would capture time-invariant year to year changes in the BMI that are not captured by the included right-hand side variables.

7. Results and discussion

As discussed above, our research objective is to estimate the impact of fast food restaurants surrounding the schools on a child’s BMI z-score, and check if there are any differences in the effects by radial distance of restaurants from school. In this section, we first present results from the pooled OLS (top panel, Table 2 ) and student fixed effects models (bottom panel, Table 2 ). The pooled OLS shows that the effect, though likely biased, is very small or zero in magnitude and that the sign of the coefficient is always negative, which is inconsistent with our prior expectation that fast food exposure should be positively related to BMI.

Estimates of density of fastfood restaurants (FF), sandwich places (SW) and pizzerias (PZ) surrounding schools on student’s BMI z-score.

Note: Regressors in the base model (BM) regression model include student age, race, gender, rural/urban area of residence, participation in school free/reduced lunch program, and year dummy variables. BM + grade FE has all the variables in BM plus the grade fixed effects. The last column reports estimates from a model that has all variables as in BM, grade fixed effects and the commercial food environment around student residence. OLS estimates and student fixed effects (FE) estimates differ only in the fact that the FE models include student fixed effects in addition to the other regressors listed. School-level clustered standard errors are in parentheses. N = 1,362,696.

Robust clustered standard errors are given in parenthesis.

Importantly, healthier parents choosing healthier neighbor-hoods might create positive bias. On the supply side, restaurants locating in neighborhoods with a larger proportion of lower income families might at least show some restaurant effect. Pooled OLS, however, assumes all observations are independent. Our data have multiple observations on each student and therefore we are able to obtain within estimates by controlling for the student-level fixed effects. These results are in the bottom panel of Table 2 . Some of the estimates are positive in sign but are very small in magnitude. Moreover, results are robust to inclusion of grade effects or additional controls for food stores around children’s residences. Controlling for the commercial food environment surrounding the residence of each student had little impact on the estimates once student-level time-invariant unobserved factors are accounted for.

Even though we control for unobserved time-invariant factors at the student-level beyond the residential food environment, we cannot entirely rule out the self-selection bias. This could potentially bias the estimate because parents choose where they live. For example, an occupation requiring frequent long-distance travel might increase the likelihood of choosing a residence near highways.

As previously discussed, our first identification strategy is to instrument for the restaurant counts. Results from fixed effects IV method are presented in Tables 3 and and4. 4 . The heteroskedasticity-robust first stage regression results in Table 3 indicate that average distance of schools from federal highways (the instrument) is a very significant and strong predictor of restaurant counts surrounding schools. The negative coefficient indicates that the number of restaurants decrease as the distance of the school from the highway increases. Large F-statistics are indicative of high correlation between restaurants counts and the instrument.

Fixed effects iv estimates of density of fastfood restaurants (FF), sandwich places (SW) and pizzerias (PZ) surrounding schools on student’s BMI z-score.

Note: Regressors in each regression model include student age, race, gender, rural/urban area of residence, participation in school free/reduced lunch program, year dummy variables, the commercial food environment around student residence and student fixed effects. School-level clustered standard errors are in parentheses. US and interstate highways are used as instruments. N = 1,352,696.

Fixed effects split-iv (continuous) estimates of density of fastfood restaurants (ff), sandwich places (SW) and pizzerias (PZ) surrounding schools on student’s BMI z-score.

On the smallness of the magnitude, it should be noted that more than 50% of the schools did not have restaurants within the certain defined radii at some point during the study period. The sign suggests that the farther the average distance of a school from nearest highway, the lesser is the number of restaurants locating near schools. The reduced form fixed effects regression also yielded significant estimates of the instrument. Despite the absence of fast food restaurants for a large number of schools, the magnitude at one-third radial distance suggests a 2.1 percent increase in BMI z-score, 0.0147 standard deviations from the mean 0.704 SD. At a two-thirds mile radial distance, the estimate decreased by a third and at a mile radius, the estimate further decreases by a fifth.

The instrumental variables estimates show interesting results. First, the general result is that restaurants around any defined radii have at least some effect on student BMI. Second, within the same group of restaurants, the effect decreases as the radial distance increases. This reflects the fact that as a restaurant locates further away from a school, its influence on BMI begins to wane. This could indicate the reduced effect on calorie intake as distance from a school increases or that distance from school does matter – even though the effect is small. Thirdly, among different groups in general, the estimate is higher when the fast food measure excludes sandwich places and pizzerias. At a third of a mile radius, fast food restaurants alone show an increase of 0.024 standard deviations in BMI z-score compared to 0.015. This seems counterintuitive, but keep in mind that only about 50% of the schools had fast food restaurants. This relatively smaller magnitude could indicate that the effect of sandwich places and pizzerias might be much lower than the fast foods itself. Thus, the IV method finds a very modest effect of the restaurants surrounding schools on a student’s BMI.

Our complementary analysis of the annexed sample is consistent with the findings above in that there is no evidence of a large fast-food effect on BMI ( Table 5 ). It is much smaller. Both OLS and fixed effects estimates show no significant effect at any radial distance from the school. The observations on reassigned students constituted less than a quarter percent of the total observations used in the analysis above. The regression model used to the obtain the results in Table 3 include similar control variables to thethose usedinthepanel IV models reported above. As discussed above, this sample is different from the general sample analyzedin several respects. Those differences could partly explain why no effect is observed in the annexed sample compared to only a marginal effect in the general sample. Compared to the general sample students in the annexed sample had to travel further away because the school in their attendance zone closed which may have prevented access to restaurants before and after school-hours. The OLS and the fixed effects estimates show high standard errors.

Estimates of density of fastfood restaurants (FF), sandwich places (SW) and pizzerias (PZ) surrounding schools on student’s BMI z-score for the annexation sample.

Note: Regressors include student age, race, gender, rural/urban area of residence, participation in school free/reduced lunch program and year and grade dummies. Base model also includes school fixed effects. The student fixed effects (FE) model includes student fixed effects in addition to the other regressors listed. School-level clustered standard errors are in parentheses. N = 2739.

The results presented so far analyze all students and include several covariates that might influence a student’s BMI. In the Appendix , we ran additional regressions to examine if the restaurant effect might vary by age or by geographic areas based on city centers or population densities. Specifically, specifications based on age group present estimates for elementary, middle, and high schools ( Tables A1 – A3 , respectively). Estimates from regressions for rural and urban schools are presented in Tables A4 and andA5, A5 , respectively. The results show some differences by age but nothing of economic significance. The main conclusions of the paper appear to hold across the different age categories. We also do not find any difference across rural and urban areas.

8. Conclusions

In this study, we estimate the effect of the number of fast food restaurants surrounding schools on the body mass index (BMI) z-score of school children. The study uses individual-level panel data from students attending public schools in Arkansas. The results from the two methods on two samples drawn from the same student population are similar. First, an instrumental variable strategy is employed using an instrument that has been validated by previous studies. A school’s distance from the nearest highway is used to instrument for the endogenous variable of interest, the restaurant count surrounding the school at specified radial distances. The identifying assumption is that fast food restaurants located by the highways cater to the highway travelers. We use the same instrument in two ways for efficient estimation. In the first specification, we use a single variable. In the other specification, we separate the instrumental variable into parts based on its distance from the highways.

The same instrument is used in two different specifications, and both arrive at similar results. Second, we exploit a natural experiment that resulted when a number of Arkansas schools were reorganized in response to a state Supreme Court decision on school funding. This created an exogenous reassignment of students to schools other than the one in their attendance zone. Students in this exogenously assigned sample have different exposure to restaurants surrounding schools. In fact, given their distance and time to travel to a school that is located further away, it is unlikely that they would have had the opportunity to visit a fast food restaurant while taking the school bus. Thus, the two estimates, although complementary, have different implications.

This study finds the effect of restaurants surrounding schools on childhood obesity to be negligible. Our point estimate, while very small, is highly significant. The smaller estimate might cultivate a laissez-faire attitude towards regulating restaurants around schools, but the findings reported here must be interpreted within the context of the study. Most Arkansas schools to had closed campus policies during the study period that meant children would only have access to outside restaurant food before or after school hours. Hence, replicating our study in other contexts to test the robustness of our findings would be warranted.

Acknowledgements

We thank Diana Danforth for research assistance in data and in building the commercial food environment database. Grant West created the neighboring school database using ArcGIS. Stephen Lein at ACHI assisted in working with the archived BMI data. Zhongyi Wang assisted in verifying the addresses of smaller grocery stores. We are thankful to other staff at ACHI for assisting us in conducting the analysis.

This research was funded by the Agriculture and Food Research Initiative of the USDA National Institute of Food and Agriculture, grant number 2011-68001-30014. This work was also partly supported by the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF-2014S1A3A2044459); Research Council of Norway Grant #233800; the Arkansas Biosciences Institute (ABI); and the National Institute of General Medical Sciences of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P20GM109096. The research reported in this study was approved by the Institutional Review Board, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, USA under protocols # 10-11-235 and # 14-07-026. The procedures of this study are in accordance with ethical standards for human research.

Abbreviations:

Appendix a..

Estimates of density of fastfood restaurants (FF), sandwich places (SW) and pizzerias (PZ) surrounding schools on student’s BMI z-score among ELEMENTARY students.

Note: Regressors in the base model (BM) regression model include student age, race, gender, rural/urban area of residence, participation in school free/reduced lunch program, year dummy variables, and lag of the included restaurant count in the model. BM + grade FE has all the variables in BM plus the grade fixed effects. The last column reports estimates from a model that has all variables as in BM, grade fixed effects and the commercial food environment around student residence. School-level clustered standard errors are in parentheses. N = 370,123.

Estimates of density of fastfood restaurants (FF), sandwich places (SW) and pizzerias (PZ) surrounding schools on student’s BMI z-score among MIDDLE school students.

Note: Regressors in the base model (BM) regression model include student age, race, gender, rural/urban area of residence, participation in school free/reduced lunch program, year dummy variables, and lag of the included restaurant count in the model. BM + grade FE has all the variables in BM plus the grade fixed effects. The last column reports estimates from a model that has all variables as in BM, grade fixed effects and the commercial food environment around student residence. School-level clustered standard errors are in parentheses. N = 111,464.

Estimates of density of fastfood restaurants (ff), sandwich places (SW) and pizzerias (PZ) surrounding schools on student’s BMI z-score among HIGH school students.

Note: Regressors in the base model (BM) regression model include student age, race, gender, rural/urban area of residence, participation in school free/reduced lunch program, year dummy variables, and lag of the included restaurant count in the model. BM + grade FE has all the variables in BM plus the grade fixed effects. The last column reports estimates from a model that has all variables as in BM, grade fixed effects and the commercial food environment around student residence. School-level clustered standard errors are in parentheses. N = 221,715.

Estimates (OLS) of density of fastfood restaurants (FF), sandwich places (SW) and pizzerias (PZ) surrounding schools on student’s BMI z-score among RURAL students.

Note: Regressors in the base model (BM) regression model include student age, race, gender, rural/urban area of residence, participation in school free/reduced lunch program, year dummy variables, and lag of the included restaurant count in the model. BM + grade FE has all the variables in BM plus the grade fixed effects. The last column reports estimates from a model that has all variables as in BM, grade fixed effects and the commercial food environment around student residence. School-level clustered standard errors are in parentheses. N = 216,181.

Estimates (OLS) of density of fastfood restaurants (FF), sandwich places (SW) and pizzerias (PZ) surrounding schools on student’s BMI z-score among URBAN students.

Note: Regressors in the base model (BM) regression model include student age, race, gender, rural/urban area of residence, participation in school free/reduced lunch program, year dummy variables, and lag of the included restaurant count in the model. BM + grade FE has all the variables in BM plus the grade fixed effects. The last column reports estimates from a model that has all variables as in BM, grade fixed effects and the commercial food environment around student residence. School-level clustered standard errors are in parentheses. N = 392,736.

Conflict of interest

1 ‘Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act of 2010’ [42 USC 1751].

2 On transportation routes, Arkansas requires noise from air and motor vehicle traffic to not exceed sound decibel level of 65db sustained and 75db peak – Arkansas Rule and Regulations Governing the Minimum Schoolhouse Construction Standards; Arkansas Code 6–20-1406.

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Essay About Fast Food Restaurants and Their Impact on Health

Over the course, fast food restaurants have rapidly increased, according to Supersize Me “McDonald’s alone operates more than 30,000 joints in over 100 countries on six continents and feed more than 46 million people worldwide every day” (Carmichael). It’s estimated that the number of McDonald’s outlets increased by 20 percents in the past decade because of this experts worry about the impact of increased fast food consumption on health (Living). Do to the increases of the fast food industry, research has shown that eating highly processed foods like those served in fast food restaurants has been linked to a number of negative health issues, including obesity, heart disease and early death (Welch). According to time.com fast food accounted for about 11 percents of daily intake in the United States between 2007 and 2010, and about 37 percents of U.S. adults consume fast food on a given day (Law). With the increased percentage of adults eating fast food increased from early 1990 to the mid-1990s also the number of obese people increased (Fryar). In the film "Supersize Me", nearly 100 million Americans are today either overweight or obese that’s more than 60 percents of all United State adults (Carmichael). Another issue of fast food is the nutrition, both Border and Mandal said fast foods are typically high in calories, high in fat, high in sugar, high in refined carbohydrates, and high in sodium (salt). Because it is nutritionally unhealthy, has been linked to heart disease, and cause obesity and death, people should stop eating fast food.

One reason people should stop eating fast food because they are nutritionally unhealthy. According to HelpGuide.org and the personal interview with Border, fast food is typically high in trans fat, saturated fat, sodium, and calories. And it also tends to be low in nutrients and lacking in fruits, vegetables, and fiber. The food is calorically dense and served in large portions, typically the meat has highly refined carbohydrates and has a poor dietary fatty acid (Odegaard). In addition, studies have shown that greater portion size leads to greater intake and extra calories (SQ online). For example, researchers found that, on average, the calorie content of entrees went up by thirty calories a decade, while the calories content of desserts went up by sixty-two calories a decade.

The study said the menu items also have a major increase in sodium content about a 4.6 percents daily value increase per decade of entrees (Law). Another example, a Big Mac which is high in sodium, high in calories, and has low nutritional value (SQ online). According to Fryar, studies have reported that “more frequent fast-food consumption is associated with higher energy and fat intake and lower intake of healthful nutrients.” The energy density of the entire menu at fast food outlets is typical “B1100 KJ/100g,” more than twice the energy density of recommended healthy diets “B525KJ/100g” (Stender). Finally, “report indicates that for 2007-2010, on average, adults consumed just over one-tenth of their percentage of calories from fast food, which a decrease from 2003-2006 when approximately 13% of calories were consumed from fast food” (Fryar). Even though the percentage decrease it is still a high percentage of adults consumed from fast food. This is why people should stop eating fast food because of it unhealthy.

In addition to nutritionally unhealthy also fast food has been linked to heart disease. In the film Supersize Me, the experiment was that he has to eat everything on the menu at least once the next 30 days and have to have three squares a day breakfast, lunch and dinner. During the end of the experiment the person state, “I nearly doubled risk of coronary heart disease making myself twice as likely to have heart failure (Carmichael). This shows by eating too much fast food can lead to a health problem. In ScienceDaily and Odegaard, both state research found that people who consume fast food even once a week increase their risk of dying from coronary heart disease by 20 percent in comparison to people who avoid fast food.

For people eating fast food two-three times each week, increase their risk by 50 percent, and 80 percent risk for people who consume fast food items four or more times each week. Also, the research found that “individuals living within roughly a half-mile from a fast food restaurant were significantly more likely to develop heart disease than those living further away” (Living). This is because most people who live near fast-food restaurants are likely to consumed fast food on a regular basis. Both Border and Stender state “daily intake of 5 grams trans fast, corresponding to 2 energy percent, is associated with an approximately 30 percent increase the risk of coronary heart disease.” The trans fat in fast food is unhealthy fast. According to time.com, “A 2015 study from Tufts University looked at 5 countries around the world and found that consumption of sugary drinks may have led to approximately 45,000 death from heart disease (Welch). Also, a study the intake of Western-style fast food items in Singapore the resulting was “1397 death from coronary heart disease” (Odegaard). This shows the danger of consumed fast food is linked to heart disease and many death because of this people should stop eating fast food.

Final reasons to stop consuming fast food cause obesity and death because it is unhealthy. As Bahadoran state “Frequent consumption of fast foods is one of the main reasons for rising trends of overweight and obesity.” Also, Al-Saad, agree that one of the serious diseases of fast food is obesity. Obesity is now the second only to smoking as major cause preventable death in America with more than “400,000 death per year associated illness” (Carmichael). For example, “obesity indicates the increase in a body’s weight over the recommended once by 30 percent due to the high rate of fats and sugar in the body” (Al-saad). This shows fast food is nutritionally unhealthy which linked to obesity. In the film Supersize Me, an experiment was done to seen fast food is the cause of obesity in America. In result “only 30 days of eating nothing but McDonald’s he gained 24 and a half pounds. He body fat percentage went from 11 to 18 percent” (Carmichael).

This shows consuming fast food regularly is unhealthy and fast food does cause obesity, so people should stop eating fast food. Eating large portions of energy-dense foods also play a factor in the obesity epidemic (SQ online). According to Obesity Crisis, many Americans are obese because of fast food consumed “with 64.5 percent of American adults overweight or obese, 30.5 percent actually obese and 127 million American adults were overweight in 1999-2000, 60 million obese and 9 million severely obese.” Due to a large number of population of Americans are obese, consumer of fast food should stop eating them. Studies have shown that this rise of obesity among the world population could be attributed to an increase in calorie intake (Mandal). With the cause of obesity, fast food also leads to many deaths “it estimates that 300,000 deaths annually are overweight and obesity-related. The risk of death from all causes is 50 to 60 percent greater for those who are obese compared to those with a healthy weight” ( Obesity Crisis). The consuming of fast food is highly an issue in today society, causing obesity which can lead to many deaths, people should stop eating fast food.

Some may argue, there are many healthy foods options to choices from when eating at a fast food restaurant such as “apple slice, sandwich, Oatmeal, and some low-fat yogurt” (Border). According to Ayres, “some salads that are offered by Wendy’s are under 400 calories.” Ayres argue “modern fast food isn’t just about burgers and fries. There are some healthy fast food meals that can be found in the various chains throughout the world.” However, it takes someone who is knowledgeable to choices healthy foods options at a fast food restaurant, state Border. When asking Border, does everyone who eats at fast food restaurants know about their nutrition menus? Border said no, researchers have found that even they see the numbers in the menus they did not know what it means to them and they don’t understand that 200 calories for a sandwich is a lot of calories.

Also consuming foods at fast food restaurants reduces the amount of eating healthy food options (SQ online). Because many fast food salads are a diet minefield, smothered in high-fat dressing and fried toppings (HelpGuide). Some time healthy stuff at fast food is worse than the items that seem like they’d the most damage. Example, “McDonald’s fruit and Maple Oatmeal, another dish with a massive health halo, packs a whopping 32 grams of sugar and there are chemicals that help keep lettuce leaves crisp (Dana-Leigh-Smith). This Shows consuming fast food is not really a healthy option because most people have no idea how much calories they eat and health foods are not regularly promoted to the same extent a burger is promoted (Ayres) because of this people should stop eating fast food.

In conclusion, because it is nutritionally unhealthy, has been linked to heart disease, and cause obesity and death, people should stop eating fast food. There are many negative health risks related to the consumption of unhealthy fast food. Also, higher availability of fast food services is associated with higher mortality rates for coronary heart disease as well as a higher risk of overweight and obesity. In short, people should stop eating them because of it unhealthy and linked to many negative health effects.

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Essay on Fast Food Is Bad For Health

Students are often asked to write an essay on Fast Food Is Bad For Health in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Fast Food Is Bad For Health

Unhealthy ingredients.

Fast food often has too much salt, sugar, and fat. These ingredients can lead to serious health problems like heart disease and diabetes. Eating too much fast food can also make you gain weight quickly.

Poor Nutrition

Fast food doesn’t have enough good stuff like vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Your body needs these to stay healthy. Without them, you might feel tired and get sick more often.

Bad Eating Habits

Eating fast food a lot can make you used to eating only that. This means you might not want to eat healthier foods like fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Fast food can harm your health. It’s better to eat homemade meals with fresh ingredients to keep your body strong and healthy.

250 Words Essay on Fast Food Is Bad For Health

Fast food and health.

Fast food is a popular choice for many people because it is quick and tastes good. But eating too much of it is not good for our health. This type of food often has a lot of fat, sugar, and salt, which can lead to different health problems.

Too Much Fat

Many fast food items are fried in a lot of oil, which makes them high in fat. Eating a lot of fat can make you gain weight and lead to heart diseases. It can also make it hard for your body to use insulin, which is important for controlling sugar levels in your blood.

High in Sugar and Salt

Fast food also has a lot of sugar and salt. Too much sugar can cause tooth decay and add to weight gain. Eating too much salt can raise your blood pressure, which is bad for your heart.

Missing Good Nutrients

Fast food does not have enough good nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and fiber. These nutrients are needed for your body to stay healthy and work properly. Without them, you can feel tired and find it hard to concentrate in school.

In short, fast food can be harmful to your health if you eat it too often. It is better to eat food that has less fat, sugar, and salt, and more of the good nutrients that your body needs. Try to pick healthier options, like fruits and vegetables, to keep your body strong and healthy.

500 Words Essay on Fast Food Is Bad For Health

What is fast food.

Fast food is the kind of food you get from a restaurant that serves it to you quickly. You don’t have to wait long to eat it. Places like McDonald’s, KFC, and Burger King are famous for making this kind of food. It usually includes burgers, fries, pizzas, and sodas. People like fast food because it’s tasty, it doesn’t cost too much, and it’s very quick to get when you’re hungry.

Why Fast Food Can Be Harmful to Health

Eating fast food can be bad for your health for many reasons. First, it often has a lot of calories. Calories are like tiny bits of energy you get from food. If you eat too many, and don’t move around enough to use them up, they can make you gain weight. Many fast food meals have more calories than you need in a whole day.

Second, fast food is full of salt, sugar, and fats. Our bodies need a little bit of these things, but not too much. Eating too much salt can lead to high blood pressure, which is bad for your heart. Too much sugar can make you gain weight and can hurt your teeth. Eating lots of fats, especially the kinds found in fast food, can also be bad for your heart.

Nutrition and Fast Food

Nutrition is about all the different good things in food that help your body grow and stay healthy. Fast food doesn’t have a lot of these good things. Even if it makes you feel full, it doesn’t have enough of the vitamins, minerals, and fibers that come from fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. These are really important for kids because they help you grow up strong and healthy.

How Fast Food Affects Kids

Kids who eat fast food a lot might not feel good. They can become overweight, which means they have more weight on their bodies than is healthy. This can make it hard to run, play, and do all the fun things kids like to do. Being overweight can also make kids feel sad or get bullied at school.

Also, kids who eat fast food all the time might not do as well in school. Your brain needs good food to work right, just like your muscles need it to run fast. Without the right food, it can be harder to concentrate and learn new things.

What Can You Do?

It’s okay to eat fast food sometimes, but not all the time. Try to eat it only once in a while, like on a special day. The rest of the time, eat lots of fruits, vegetables, and foods that don’t have too much fat, sugar, or salt. Drink water instead of soda, and try to move around a lot to use up your energy.

If you’re eating with your family, you can ask to go to places that have healthier options. Some fast food places have salads, fruit, and milk. Choosing these instead of burgers and fries can help you stay healthy.

Remember, what you eat is very important for your body and your mind. Eating healthy food helps you grow, think, and play. So, next time you’re hungry, think about what food is the best choice for you!

That’s it! I hope the essay helped you.

If you’re looking for more, here are essays on other interesting topics:

Essay on Fast Food Effects On The Environment
Essay on Fast Food Culture
Essay on Fast Food And Obesity

Apart from these, you can look at all the essays by clicking here .

Happy studying!

IELTS essay sample | Fast foods are bad. Do you agree?

by Manjusha Nambiar · Published March 22, 2016 · Updated April 23, 2024

Essay topic

The fast food industry has negative effects on our health, the environment and family eating habits. Do you agree or disagree?

Sample essay

Fast foods have invaded our kitchen and living room. They have changed our eating habits and made us prone to developing several health problems. I certainly agree with the argument that fast foods have a negative impact on our health and on the environment.

To start with, fast foods cause several health problems. They are rich in calories and make us obese. Regular consumption of fast foods leads to several health problems including diabetes, heart trouble and liver damage.

Most people who consume packaged food products are actually aware of their health consequences; still they can’t resist the temptation to eat them. There are several reasons to this. First, fast foods taste better. They use several ingredients that make us addicted to them. Second, fast foods are readily available. It takes hours to cook a meal. Today, most of us lead busy lives that leave us with little time to cook or clean. As a result, we are often compelled to buy fast foods even though we are aware of their health consequences.

Fast foods have a negative impact on the environment as well. The junk food industry uses plastic for packaging. The environmental consequences of plastic are well-known. Each year tons of plastic end up in landfills. It spoils the soil and clogs the drains.

Eating habits of families have also changed due to the adoption of fast foods. Parents and children munching on packaged foods sitting in front of a television is now a common sight. Gone are the days when families used to sit around a table to enjoy a meal.

To conclude, fast foods have a negative impact on almost all aspects of our life and the environment. In my opinion, it is high time we expelled them from our lives.

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Fast food IELTS sample essay with vocabulary

Our band nine sample essays give you the opportunity to learn from successful essays that show off the best structure, vocabulary and grammar. This IELTS essay on fast food gives the advantages and disadvantages of this type of meal.

Band nine sample essay

Fast food is increasingly popular in large cities. compare the advantages and disadvantages of this type of food and give your own opinion. .

Despite many healthy eating campaigns, demand for junk food has skyrocketed in recent years. In this essay, I will explore the advantage that this food is affordable with the disadvantage to consumers’ health.

To begin, fast food allows people to grab a quick bite to eat without spending too much money. As the world has been hit by inflation and stagnant wage growth over the last year, more and more consumers have been unable to find affordable meals on the go . If someone finds themselves in this situation, fast food can help them to afford to eat. Furthermore, for parents, who are deeply affected by price rises, many fast food restaurants have multi-buy meal deals which are suitable for a whole family and which can help them cope.

However, regular fast food consumption is damaging for those who eat it. Because these foods are prepared in bulk , they rarely use fresh ingredients and often use additives, which can have a negative impact on people’s health. Furthermore, as the quality of the ingredients cannot be high while keeping prices low, these foods often rely on sugar and fats to make them taste better than they otherwise would. For example, compared to an organic homemade burger, a burger from a fast food chain is likely to be full of chemicals, use poor quality meat and bread, and use more sugar and fat than is necessary.

To conclude, fast food is beneficial as it helps people to eat without breaking the bank . However, it also can be damaging to consumer’s health. For me, given that for many, the alternative to fast food is to not be able to afford to eat, fast food has more advantages than disadvantages.

Fast Food vocabulary

There is a lot of vocabulary you need to write an essay about fast food. I have highlighted some of the important terms from the essay below, but keep an eye out for other essays as there is more to know.

California Increases Minimum Wage, Protections for Fast-Food Workers

Published: Sep 28, 2023

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Beginning in April next year, California’s minimum wage for the state’s 500,000 fast-food workers will increase to $20 per hour – the average hourly wage for fast-food workers in 2022 was $16.21. Through the Fast Food Council, workers will have a stronger say in setting minimum wages and working conditions, including health and safety standards.

LOS ANGELES – Alongside fast-food workers, labor leaders, and legislators, Governor Gavin Newsom today signed legislation increasing the minimum wage for fast-food employees to $20 per hour, beginning April 1, 2024. The legislation, AB 1228 by Assemblymember Chris R. Holden (D-Pasadena), authorizes the Fast Food Council to set fast-food restaurant standards for minimum wage, and develop proposals for other working conditions, including health and safety standards and training.

WHAT GOVERNOR NEWSOM SAID: “California is home to more than 500,000 fast-food workers who – for decades – have been fighting for higher wages and better working conditions. Today, we take one step closer to fairer wages, safer and healthier working conditions, and better training by giving hardworking fast-food workers a stronger voice and seat at the table.”

“Today, we witnessed the signing of one of the most impactful fast food wage laws that this country has ever seen,” said Assemblymember Holden . “We did not just raise the minimum wage to $20 an hour for fast food workers. We helped a father or mother feed their children, we helped a student put gas in their car, and helped a grandparent get their grandchild a birthday gift. Last month, when we were knee deep in negotiations, hundreds of workers slept in their cars and missed pay days to come give their testimony in committee and defend their livelihood. Sacrifice, dedication, and the power of a government who serves its people is what got us to this moment. My goal for AB 1228 was to bring relief and solutions where they were needed and together with my colleagues and Governor Newsom, that is what we have done. Thank you to the SEIU and all who supported this important effort. We, as a state, should be proud.”

“After ten years of vibrant and courageous activism, which included raising the minimum wage for all workers in the state and bringing billions of dollars into working families’ pockets, fast food workers have now achieved something historic,” said David Huerta, President of SEIU California and SEIU USWW . “We extend our deepest gratitude to the Governor for his leadership in fighting poverty, empowering workers, and moving us toward a more just and equitable society.”

WHAT AB 1228 DOES

Repeals and replaces provisions of the statute creating the Fast Food Council within the Department of Industrial Relations, creating a process to develop minimum fast food restaurant employment standards, related to wages, working conditions, and training – upon the withdrawal of the AB 257 referendum:

Establishes a minimum wage of $20 per hour for fast-food workers beginning April 1, 2024 and allows the council to increase this wage annually.

The annual wage increase is capped at the lesser of 3.5% or the annual increase in the US-CPI for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers.

Allows the Council to develop and propose other labor, health or safety standards for rule-making by the appropriate body.

Ensures consistency for a statewide industry wage by stating only the Council may set wages for fast food workers until January 1, 2029.

The Council and its authority sunset January 1, 2029.

“It’s time to get to work so we can bring real solutions shaped by real workers to the Fast Food Council. Today’s victory is just the beginning,” said Ingrid Vilorio, a California fast food worker and leader in the Fight for $15 . “From day one of our movement, we have demanded a seat at the table so we could improve our pay and working conditions. This moment was built by every fast-food worker, both here in California and across the country, who has bravely gone on strike, exposed the issues in our industry and made bold demands of corporations that we knew could do better by their frontline workers. We now have the power to win transformational changes for every fast-food cook, cashier and barista in our state. We hope that what we win here shows workers in other industries and other states that when we fight, we win!”

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COMMENTS

An opinion essay about fast food
Look at the exam question and essay and do the exercises to improve your writing skills. Reading. Check your understanding: matching. Check your vocabulary: gap fill. Check your writing: multiple choice. Check your vocabulary: gap fill. Worksheets and downloads. An opinion essay about fast food - exercises 860.68 KB.
Fast Food Effects on Human Health
Fast food poses a profound negative impact on health due to the dynamic preparation means and the reliance on carbohydrates. Apart from the reuse of oils, a significant percentage of junk lacks a balanced diet for consumers. The phenomenon results in the ideological perspectives of increased obesity and the emergence of lifestyle diseases.
The Hidden Dangers of Fast and Processed Food
Over the past 50 years, the health of Americans has gotten worse, and now 71% of Americans are overweight or obese—not 66%, which was reported 5 years ago. 1 That means a staggering 100 million people in America are obese. Today, eating processed foods and fast foods may kill more people prematurely than cigarette smoking. 2.
Fast food effects: Short-term, long-term, physical, mental, and more
Eating lots of fast food could also impact an individual's mental health and make them more prone to depression and anxiety. A 2021 study compared data from 322 males and 322 females age 30 or ...
Fast Food Should Be Banned: Analysis of Health Effects
Fast food is undeniably unhealthy and causes obesity. We may consider fast food junk food because it contains high amounts of calories and gives high energy but lacks micronutrients such as vitamins, minerals, amino acids, and fiber. These foods do not contain the nutrients that your body needs to stay healthy.
Cause and Effect of Fast Food: the Impact on Health and Society
Fast food, a convenient and readily available option, has significant effects on individuals' health and the broader society. This cause and effect essay delves into the reasons why people consume fast food and examines its far-reaching consequences on physical well-being, cultural practices, and the economy.
Does excessive fast-food consumption impair our health?
Fast food has become a significant portion of the world's diet. For example, Table 1 shows the rapid increase in consumption in the United States across all age groups. In the 1970s, an average US adult (aged 18-65 y) consumed fast food on <10% of days, but this had risen to 40.7% of days in 2017-2018. Among US survey participants aged 12 ...
Has fast food become worse for our health in the past 30 years?
Moreover, according to a study conducted by University of Connecticut researchers in 2018, around 74 percent of parents purchase unhealthful foods for their children in fast-food restaurants.
Fast‐food restaurant, unhealthy eating, and childhood obesity: A
1. INTRODUCTION. Obesity is a major risk factor for global mortality, with an estimated 2.8 million people died of obesity‐related causes each year. 1 Obesity can lead to a variety of health consequences, including heart disease, stroke, diabetes mellitus, hypertension, dyslipidaemia, breathing disorders, and certain types of cancer. 2 In 2016, the World Health Organization (WHO) reported ...
128 Brilliant Fast Food Essay Topics & Examples
128 Brilliant Fast Food Essay Topics & Examples. Updated: Feb 24th, 2024. 16 min. The phenomenon of comfort food that takes a short time to prepare and tastes good has become extremely popular in the world, with chains such as McDonalds having an enormous global presence. However, the adverse health effects associated with the emergence of fast ...
Fast Food Is Bad For Our Health Essay
A. Fast food is any food that is quick, convenient, and usually inexpensive (Fast Food Facts). B. Fast food refers to precooked foods. 1. A few examples are fries or pizza. C. Places like Wendy's, McDonald's, Burger king, and Taco bell are known as fast food restaurants. 1.
Fast Food's Effects on 8 Areas of the Body
Eating fast food frequently may negatively affect multiple areas of your body, possibly increasing your risk of conditions including type 2 diabetes, obesity, and high blood pressure. As a result ...
Do fast food restaurants surrounding schools affect childhood obesity
The above studies examine adult populations. Two studies analyze fast food restaurants around schools and find fast food restaurants to significantly affect childhood obesity rates. Currie et al. (2010) uses a cross-sectional sample of students from grade 9 in public schools in California. In their study, the effect is identified by comparing ...
Essay About Fast Food Restaurants and Their Impact on Health
Do to the increases of the fast food industry, research has shown that eating highly processed foods like those served in fast food restaurants has been linked to a number of negative health issues, including obesity, heart disease and early death (Welch). According to time.com fast food accounted for about 11 percents of daily intake in the ...
Fast Food Consumption and its Impact on Health
Consumption of fast foods t wo times or more per. week has been associa ted with 31% highe r. prevalen ce of moderate abdominal obesity in men. and 25% higher preval ence in women 70. Obesity is ...
Living near pubs, bars and fast-food restaurants could be bad for heart
Researchers evaluated the association using data from the UK Biobank — a large-scale database containing health information for more than 500,000 adults in the United Kingdom. They measured enrollees' exposure to three types of food environments — pubs or bars, restaurants or cafeterias and fast-food restaurants.
Essay on Fast Food Is Bad For Health
250 Words Essay on Fast Food Is Bad For Health Fast Food and Health. Fast food is a popular choice for many people because it is quick and tastes good. But eating too much of it is not good for our health. This type of food often has a lot of fat, sugar, and salt, which can lead to different health problems. Too Much Fat. Many fast food items ...
IELTS essay sample
Sample essay. Fast foods have invaded our kitchen and living room. They have changed our eating habits and made us prone to developing several health problems. I certainly agree with the argument that fast foods have a negative impact on our health and on the environment. To start with, fast foods cause several health problems.
Fast food IELTS sample essay with vocabulary
For example, compared to an organic homemade burger, a burger from a fast food chain is likely to be full of chemicals, use poor quality meat and bread, and use more sugar and fat than is necessary. To conclude, fast food is beneficial as it helps people to eat without breaking the bank. However, it also can be damaging to consumer's health.
Eating Healthy at Fast-Food Restaurants: 9 Places to Try
McDonald's. Ruby Tuesday. Cheesecake Factory. KFC. Subway. Panera. Takeaway. While most fast foods are based on cheap, unhealthy ingredients, many fast-food establishments now offer nutritious ...
Foodborne Illnesses and Outbreaks
Foodborne illnesses (sometimes called "food poisoning") are caused by eating or drinking something that is contaminated with germs (such as bacteria, viruses, or parasites) or chemicals (such as toxins or metals) that can make people sick. Many foodborne illnesses can cause sudden symptoms like upset stomach, diarrhea, and vomiting, but most people get better in a few days without treatment.
California Increases Minimum Wage, Protections for Fast-Food Workers
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW: Beginning in April next year, California's minimum wage for the state's 500,000 fast-food workers will increase to $20 per hour - the average hourly wage for fast-food workers in 2022 was $16.21. Through the Fast Food Council, workers will have a stronger say in setting minimum wages and working conditions, including health and safety standards.
The Best 10 Fast Food Restaurants near 5450 Great America Pkwy ...
Best Fast Food in 5450 Great America Pkwy, Santa Clara, CA - Chick-fil-A, Taco Bell, In-N-Out Burger, Chick'n Cone, McDonald's, Jack in the Box, Five Guys, World Wrapps 2.0, Smoke Eaters
TOP 10 BEST Fast Food in Santa Clara, CA
Top 10 Best fast food Near Santa Clara, California. 1 . McDonald's. 2 . Jack in the Box. "This is a solid fast food spot. I know they deal with a lot of drunken riff raff." more. 3 . McDonald's.

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Do fast food restaurants surrounding schools affect childhood obesity?

Michael R. Thomsen

Rodolfo M. Nayga, Jr.

1. Introduction

2. Contribution to the current literature on fast food and obesity

4. Identification strategies

4.1. Instrumental variable (IV) method

4.2. Exogenous assignment to schools

5.1. Annexed sample

6. Econometric model

7. Results and discussion

8. Conclusions

Acknowledgements

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