Fotopedia/Marius Mézerette

Living near fast food outlets leads to higher consumption of junk foods but living close to supermarkets stocked with fruit and vegetables doesn’t mean a healthier diet, a U.S. study has found.

The US study, published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine, examined data from a longitudinal study called the Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults study, which collected information on the health of 5,115 18 to 30-year-olds from 1985 until 2001.

“Fast food consumption was related to fast food availability among low-income respondents, particularly within 1 to 2.99 km of home among men,” the study found.

The link between junk food consumption and proximity to home was particularly strong for low income men, “who may be less likely to own a car, thereby limiting mobility and enhancing reliance on the immediate neighbourhood area.”

“Greater supermarket availability was generally unrelated to diet quality and fruit and vegetable intake, and relationships between grocery store availability and diet outcomes were mixed.”

The authors said their study supported a push by some U.S. policymakers to tackle ‘food deserts’ — neighbourhoods where healthy food is hard to find — by putting zoning restrictions on fast food restaurants within 3 km of low-income households.

However, encouraging a nutritious diet will require more than urban planning changes, they said, as the study showed living close to shops stocking healthy food was not enough to promote better food choices.

(SOURCE: theconversation.edu.au)