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This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) All Versions of this Article: AJPH.2008.137638v1 99/3/505    most recent Submit a response View Shopping Cart Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Web of Science (1) Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Davis, B. Articles by Carpenter, C. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Davis, B. Articles by Carpenter, C. Related Collections Obesity, Overweight, Underweight Geography School Health Nutrition/Food Other Child and Adolescent Health Other Statistics/Evaluation/Research

Brennan Davis, PhD and Christopher Carpenter, PhD

At the time of the study, Brennan Davis was with the School of Business and Management, Azusa Pacific University, Azusa, CA. Christopher Carpenter is with the Paul Merage School of Business, University of California, Irvine.

Correspondence: Requests for reprints should be sent to Brennan Davis, PhD, Hankamer School of Business, Baylor University, One Bear Place 98007, Waco, Tx 76798 (e-mail: marketing_department{at}baylor.edu).

Objectives. We examined the relationship between fast-food restaurants near schools and obesity among middle and high school students in California.

Methods. We used geocoded data (obtained from the 2002–2005 California Healthy Kids Survey) on over 500 000 youths and multivariate regression models to estimate associations between adolescent obesity and proximity of fast-food restaurants to schools.

Results. We found that students with fast-food restaurants near (within one half mile of) their schools (1) consumed fewer servings of fruits and vegetables, (2) consumed more servings of soda, and (3) were more likely to be overweight (odds ratio [OR] = 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.02, 1.10) or obese (OR = 1.07; 95% CI = 1.02, 1.12) than were youths whose schools were not near fast-food restaurants, after we controlled for student- and school-level characteristics. The result was unique to eating at fast-food restaurants (compared with other nearby establishments) and was not observed for another risky behavior (smoking).

Conclusions. Exposure to poor-quality food environments has important effects on adolescent eating patterns and overweight. Policy interventions limiting the proximity of fast-food restaurants to schools could help reduce adolescent obesity.