Fast Food Vancouver

• Introduction
• Objectives
• Methodology
• Results
• Discussion

Abstract

Our goal is to determine the relationship between fast food restaurants and many socioeconomic issues, such as individual and household income, age, and proximity to elementary schools, secondary schools and supermarkets in Vancouver.  Our findings suggest that fast food restaurants are more prone to areas that have a lower income, a younger population, near secondary schools and supermarkets.

introduction

Canada’s significant rise in obesity, and subsequently diabetes, heart disease, and other health conditions has been climbing since the mid 1970s.  According to Statistics Canada, from 1978 to 2004 the obesity rates in Canada have risen from 14% to 23% among adults, and childhood obesity has more than tripled. Currently, roughly one quarter (26%) of all Canadian children and adolescents aged 2-17 years are overweight or obese (Shields, 2006). 

One major contributor to these rising rates is the growing abundance and accessibility of energy dense, nutritionally poor, fast food restaurants. In conjunction with the rising accessibility, Canadians are increasingly eating more and more meals outside their homes. Many studies have showed a strong positive correlation of fast food consumption with weight gain and insulin resistance (Pereira et al, 2005). Recent literature has showed rates of higher obesity and hypertension among residents in neighbourhoods with limited access to a local supermarket (Morland et al, 2006), or in areas with a higher density of fast food outlets (Lewis et al, 2005).

This project explores the density and distribution of fast food restaurants (FFR) across Vancouver's neighbourhoods and high school catchments.