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Impact of Changes in Chain Restaurant Calories over Time on Obesity Risk.
Sara N Bleich1, Jesse C Jones-Smith2, Marian P Jarlenski3
1Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA. sbleich@hsph.harvard.edu.
Journal of General Internal Medicine
|February 16, 2020
Summary
Increased chain restaurant calories were linked to weight gain in Black and Hispanic adults. This study highlights disparities in obesity risk associated with the food environment.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Epidemiology
- Nutrition Science
Background:
- Limited research exists on restaurant environments and obesity risk due to cross-sectional data and geographic limitations.
- Previous studies often focused on specific regions, hindering broader understanding of the restaurant environment's impact on public health.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the association between changes in chain restaurant calorie availability and body mass index (BMI) over time.
- To investigate potential disparities in this association based on race, income, restaurant type, and initial body weight.
Main Methods:
- A first-difference model was employed to analyze changes in chain restaurant calories per capita and BMI from 2012 to 2015.
- Data included 447,873 adult patients across 207 US counties, with BMI measurements in both years.
Main Results:
- Overall, changes in chain restaurant calories per capita were not significantly associated with changes in BMI.
- However, a 10% increase in exposure to chain restaurant calories was linked to a 0.16 percentage-point BMI increase in Black or Hispanic adults.
- This effect was more pronounced in lower-income counties and among individuals with overweight or obesity.
Conclusions:
- Increased exposure to chain restaurant calories is associated with weight gain, particularly among Black and Hispanic adults.
- Findings suggest a disproportionate impact of the food environment on specific demographic groups, highlighting potential health inequities.
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