California's food landscape encourages obesity, study finds

When Californians step out their door, they are four times more likely to find a fast food joint than a grocery or produce store, according to a study released Jan. 19 by the California Center for Public Health Advocacy.

"Ready access to healthy foods like fruits and vegetables is critical to Californians struggling to address the state's out-of-control obesity crisis," said Dr. Harold Goldstein, the center's executive director. "Sadly, fast-food outlets and convenience stores far outnumber healthier food outlets in major cities and counties throughout California, making the hunt for nutritious options a daunting challenge."

The study, "Searching for Healthy Food: The Food Landscape in California Cities and Counties," finds growing evidence that the likelihood of people being obese is influenced by the "food environment" in which they live.

For the study, the nonprofit center gathered an inventory of supermarkets, produce vendors, convenience stores and fast-food restaurants in cities and counties in California with populations more than 250,000.

By contrasting the number of outlets likely to offer healthier food options like fruits and vegetables with the number of fast food and convenience stores, the study creates a local Retail Food Environment Index (RFEI). The higher the RFEI index, the less likely consumers will find healthy food options.

California has 14,823 fast food restaurants and 6,659 convenience stores, but only has 3,853 supermarkets and 1,292 produce stands, giving it an RFEI of 4.18, according to the study.

"There is growing evidence that a community's food landscape has a potent influence on the health of its residents," Goldstein said.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, more than half of all California adults are either obese or overweight, both health conditions associated with increased risk of such chronic problems as cardiovascular disease and diabetes.

Kenna Stormagipson, a teacher at Oakland Technical High School in West Oakland, said that there "is a lot of obesity among her students, as well as the adults in the community." The nearest grocery store carrying fresh produce in West Oakland is nearly two miles away, say residents there.

Stormagipson said that even though Oakland Technical cafeteria serves healthful food, many of the students prefer to go out and buy junk food from neighborhood stores because they have gotten accustomed to eating such food. "And then they wonder why they can't focus after lunch," Stormagipson said.

At 5.72, San Bernadino County has the highest RFEI among California counties. Other counties with more than five times the number of unhealthy retail food options as healthy food options include Sacramento (5.66), Fresno (5.34), Orange (5.13), and Solano (5.03), according to the study. Santa Cruz County recorded the state's lowest RFEI (1.84).

"It is time for California to shift the balance," Goldstein said. "We need state and local leaders to take a closer look in their own backyard and enact policies to make it as easy for Californians to find healthy food when they walk out their doors as it now is to find unhealthy foods."

--Viji Sundaram, New America Media

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