Marlon Solomon was happy when the school his two children attend, Boston Preparatory Charter School, moved away from Cleary Square in Hyde Park two years ago.
It was really close to a McDonalds, he told Boston.com.
But, it turns out, the schools new location on River Street is slated to get a fast food neighbor across the street Burger King. The restaurant chain will be closer to the school than the playing fields where students practice sports, Solomon pointed out.
As a parent, I found it quite offensive that somebody would actually be so brazen as to put a Burger King right across the street, he said.
The neighborhood has been embroiled in a debate over the fast food restaurant since early this year, according to Boston Bulletin, and Solomon said he started a petition to oppose the restaurant moving in. The citys licensing board granted approval for the franchise in May, following a contentious hearing where neighborhood groups expressed split opinions on bringing the location to River Street, Universal Hub reports.
Following the approval, Solomon, a civil engineer and founder of the nonprofit Afrimerican Culture Initiative, said he felt compelled to take a closer look at the proximity of fast food burger chains to schools after hearing arguments from board members that there wasnt a saturation of similar operations in the area, while acknowledging that fast food isnt healthy.
Using Google Maps, he plotted the distances between fast food burger chains and public schools in Boston, Brookline, and Newton. He looked for the three closest McDonalds, three closest Burger Kings, and three closest Wendys restaurants to the four schools he selected Boston Preparatory Charter School, Jeremiah E. Burke High School, Brookline High School, and Newton South High School. He then averaged the distances of the chains to each school to get an average saturation of the burger chains, in miles, to the school.
He found the average distance to the three closest franchises was far less for the Boston schools, which he noted are attended predominantly by students of color.
I am showing what systematic racism looks like in real life, Solomon said. Its there for everybody to see. Its not a question of how, when, what, why. Its right there for you to see. You have the density here in the Black neighborhoods, you dont have the density in the other neighborhoods.
Since he only focused on the three specific chains, Solomon pointed out his evaluation just captures a fraction of the picture. In the report, he noted that large areas of Chestnut Hill, Brookline, Newton and surrounding residential areas have minimal fast food and a larger variety of healthier food options.
Profits mean more than the health of children of color, he wrote.
The makeup of your environment such as whether you live in a food desert where you have limited access to affordable, nutritious food has significant implications for your health, Sara Bleich, a professor of public health policy at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, stressed.
We know that food deserts are areas with limited access to affordable nutritious food. In urban areas, theyre much more concentrated where Black people tend to live, she told Boston.com. And what we know is if you continually have access to inadequate food, you have fewer resources, youre at higher risk for all sorts of health-related conditions. Like diabetes and obesity and cardiovascular disease.
How environments are shaped are based in systemic racism, she said.
If we hone in on the issue at hand, which is fast food intake or fast food restaurants, we know generally that fast food restaurants tend to be more dense and more highly concentrated in low income and minority neighborhoods, Bleich said. So not surprisingly then, consumption of fast food also tends to be higher among those groups and those are the same groups that have much higher rates of obesity and then diseases associated with obesity.
The Harvard professor stressed that three elements drive why people eat what they do price, convenience, and taste.
So if youre a young person and youre hungry and theres Burger King 300 feet away, not surprisingly youre probably going to go there all the time, she said. But if it were something else, then likely you would eat at some other type of venue. So the things that are available in your environment really shape your diet, and, in the long term they can shape your health.
Thats why thinking critically about the food closest to children is so important, Bleich said.
It will set their preferences, Bleich said. It will set their diet and it can harm their health.
The Harvard professor said the challenge with tackling healthy eating and obesity more broadly is theres not one single policy that will make the environment change and solve the problems of food deserts and the inequities associated with them.
The who is responsible is varied, she said. It does include the fast food restaurants. It does include all of the marketing that they do, which is often targeted to Black and brown, low-income populations. But then there also needs to be policy efforts to think about, How do we create an environment which raises up the barriers to unhealthy food and brings down the barriers to healthy food?
That could be policies like sugary beverage taxes, like limiting marketing, like requiring that meals served in fast food restaurants dont include soda when theyre being sold to children, she said. Some of these things are already in place in many many parts of the country Theres all sorts of changes that restaurants could take if they really cared about making meaningful differences.
Solomon said he hopes his examination of the density of the fast food restaurants to just four of Bostons schools will help raise awareness and prompt the development of solutions to create healthier options for the children in the neighborhood.
Its not about money, he said. Its about get these Burger Kings out of here, so we can breathe so our communities and our businesses can breathe.
See his full report here.
See the article here:
A local nonprofit is raising concerns about fast food restaurants near Boston schools. Heres why. - Boston.com
- The Pandemic and Childhood Weight Gain | Tufts Now - Tufts Now - January 5th, 2021
- How the American Diet Turbocharges COVID-19 - Mother Jones - January 5th, 2021
- Why do some people find it harder than others to lose weight? - The Guardian - January 5th, 2021
- After magazine calls obesity 'healthy', here is understanding when it crosses the line - Times Now - January 5th, 2021
- 80% of the Covid deaths in Yucatan involved hypertension, diabetes, or obesity - The Yucatan Times - January 5th, 2021
- Are metabolic hormones the next frontier in cancer treatment? - MedCity News - January 5th, 2021
- Obesity, the other risk of American football - The Press Stories - January 5th, 2021
- Chronic inflammation of obesity: How it affects blood vessel cells - TheHealthSite - January 5th, 2021
- Brown fat may protect you against cardiac, metabolic conditions: How is it different from white fat? - TheHealthSite - January 5th, 2021
- A Recipe for Homemade Obesity: The Association Between Depression, Obesity, and Cognitive Deficits - Psychiatric Times - January 5th, 2021
- Aspirin Use for Venous Thromboembolism Prevention Is Safe and Effective in Overweight and Obese Patients Undergoing Revision Total Hip and Knee... - January 5th, 2021
- Assessing the Link Between Sugary Drinks and Cancer - Pharmacy Times - January 5th, 2021
- Dr. Edward Mason All Obituaries - The Gazette - January 5th, 2021
- Researchers discover blood vessel cells that triggers harmful inflammation in obese mice - Study Finds - January 5th, 2021
- Obesity Surgery Devices Market Statistics, Facts and Figures, Size, Trend and Forecast by 2026 | Johnson & Johnson, Medtronic, Apollo Endosurgery ... - January 5th, 2021
- Chonky Kitty: The Internets Unhealthy Obsession Over Obese Cats - Nature World News - January 5th, 2021
- Nottingham declared one of UK's obesity hotspots in latest NHS report - Nottinghamshire Live - January 5th, 2021
- Influencers May Face Fines as China Tackles Obesity and Food Waste - The New York Times - December 28th, 2020
- Diabetes + Obesity = Diabesity: The Enemy Within You - Hindustan Times - December 28th, 2020
- Scientists Discover a Gene to Stay Thin Protects Against Diet-Induced Obesity - SciTechDaily - December 28th, 2020
- UK restricting promotions on 'unhealthy food' at supermarkets, retailers in bid to fight obesity - Fox News - December 28th, 2020
- COVID-19 and obesity: a clear and present danger in younger patients - The Daily Star - December 28th, 2020
- Obesity is associated with shorter telomere length in prostate stromal cells in men with aggressive prostate cancer - DocWire News - December 28th, 2020
- University of York leads 6 million bid to cut child obesity | York Press - York Press - December 28th, 2020
- Womens Health: Fighting obesity - NEWS10 ABC - December 28th, 2020
- Bariatric Surgery Might Reduce Severity of COVID-19 Infection - Medscape - December 28th, 2020
- Overweight and Obese Subjects Dosed with ASC41 Tablets in a Phase Ib Trial - PRNewswire - December 28th, 2020
- Clemson team hopes research will lead to more varieties of lentils - SCNow - December 28th, 2020
- Study links metabolic syndrome to higher cardiovascular risk in patients with psoriasis - National Institutes of Health - December 28th, 2020
- Obesity and smoking as risk factors for invasive mechanical ventilation in COVID-19: A retrospective, observational cohort study - DocWire News - December 28th, 2020
- 6 common myth around weight management and obesity, busted! - Times Now - December 28th, 2020
- Britain to restrict promotion of unhealthy food from April 2022 - Reuters - December 28th, 2020
- Tonix Pharmaceuticals Acquires Exclusive License to University of Geneva Technology for Oxytocin-Based Treatments for Treating Insulin Resistance,... - December 28th, 2020
- Long life: Cities across the US where people live the longest include San Francisco and Boulder - USA TODAY - December 28th, 2020
- Breast Cancer Survival Disparities: Need to Address Obesity - Medscape - December 12th, 2020
- Data shows link between obesity and developing severe COVID-19 symptoms - KTIV - December 12th, 2020
- Former Bin Laden subordinate released after judge agrees he's too obese to survive coronavirus - Fox News - December 12th, 2020
- Study finds more years of obesity tied to higher risk of diabetes - Atlanta Journal Constitution - December 12th, 2020
- The Hidden Dangers Of Excessive Fat: Know Why You Need To Shed Those Extra Kilos - NDTV - December 12th, 2020
- Obesity in children might be due to genetic variant resulting in less leptin production - Hindustan Times - December 12th, 2020
- Study finds Pre-K students on South Texas border have higher rates of obesity related to poverty - Border Report - December 12th, 2020
- Rhythm Pharmaceuticals Announces Appointments of Camille L. Bedrosian, MD, and Lynn Tetrault, JD, to its Board of Directors - BioSpace - December 12th, 2020
- FoodTech startup treats obesity, diabetes through individualized AI-driven nutrition plans - CTech - December 12th, 2020
- Tips to help families navigate the growing problem of childhood obesity - WNEP Scranton/Wilkes-Barre - December 3rd, 2020
- 13.2% of 10- to 17-year-olds in Maine are obese, study finds - The Center Square - December 3rd, 2020
- 13.7% of 10- to 17-year-olds in New Hampshire are obese, study finds - The Center Square - December 3rd, 2020
- Tips to help families navigate the growing problem of childhood obesity - KESQ - December 1st, 2020
- 10.7% of 10- to 17-year-olds in New York are obese, study finds - The Center Square - December 1st, 2020
- 20.4% of 10- to 17-year-olds in Tennessee are obese, study finds - The Center Square - December 1st, 2020
- Food Insecurity Increasingly Tied to Obesity in the United States - Food Tank - December 1st, 2020
- Transomics analysis reveals allosteric and gene regulation axes for altered hepatic glucose-responsive metabolism in obesity - Science - December 1st, 2020
- Rhythm Pharmaceuticals Announces FDA Approval of IMCIVREE (setmelanotide) as First-ever Therapy for Chronic Weight Management in Patients with Obesity... - December 1st, 2020
- PCOS and diabetes risk increases with obesity here's how they affect fertility in women - Firstpost - December 1st, 2020
- Higher COVID-19 Risk Leading More Patients With Obesity To Weight Loss Surgery - CBS Boston - November 26th, 2020
- Shift in language to help reduce obesity stigma - WA Health - November 26th, 2020
- Anti-Obesity Day 2020: Simple ways to eat smart and beat weight gain - The Indian Express - November 26th, 2020
- DDRC DIVING AND OBESITY SURVEY - DIVE Magazine - November 26th, 2020
- The Link Between Obesity and Puberty - Michigan Medicine - November 25th, 2020
- Evaluating Innovative Health Care Solutions for Obesity - Harvard Business Review - November 25th, 2020
- Researchers Discover Hormone That Can Curb Appetite and Help Deal With Obesity - Science Times - November 25th, 2020
- Gut hormone that regulates fat found abnormal in obesity - India New England - November 25th, 2020
- Research shows bariatric surgery may reduce severity of Covid-19 in patients with obesity - Hindustan Times - November 25th, 2020
- More Obese Patients Seeking Weight Loss Surgery To Reduce COVID-19 Risk - CBS Boston - November 25th, 2020
- Obesity is still on the rise among American adults - Harvard Health - Harvard Health - November 25th, 2020
- Association Between Clogged Arteries and Body Size Phenotype? Study Finds, It Varies - AJMC.com Managed Markets Network - November 25th, 2020
- Parents' wake up call as obesity and sunburn risks rise - Daily Mercury - November 25th, 2020
- Executive summary: learning from local authorities with downward trends in childhood obesity - GOV.UK - November 25th, 2020
- Study: Gut hormones' regulation of fat production abnormal in obesity, fatty liver disease - University of Illinois News - November 25th, 2020
- Brands call for alternatives to online junk food ads ban - The Guardian - November 25th, 2020
- As Obesity Soars, a Mayo Clinic DNA Study May Have Cracked The Cause - Observer - November 22nd, 2020
- Looking at the unintended consequences of obesity campaigns - Contemporary Pediatrics - November 22nd, 2020
- In Those With Obesity, Will Losing Weight Cut COVID-19 Severity? - Medscape - November 22nd, 2020
- Pupil measurements accelerated amid fears of obesity crisis - The Independent - November 22nd, 2020
- Bay Area is home to two of the least sinful cities in the U.S. - The Mercury News - November 22nd, 2020
- Epidemiological and immunological features of obesity and SARS-CoV-2 - DocWire News - November 22nd, 2020
- Obesity does not adversely impact the outcome of unicompartmental knee arthroplasty for osteoarthritis: a meta-analysis of 80,798 subjects - DocWire... - November 22nd, 2020
- Obesity Linked to Higher Risk of Covid-19 Infection - Contagionlive.com - November 22nd, 2020
- Horse vet gives fresh scoop on the equine obesity epidemic - Horsetalk - November 22nd, 2020
- New podcast episode from Morris Animal Foundation highlights the equine obesity epidemic - EQUUS Magazine - November 22nd, 2020
- Effects of Body Mass Index on Peri-operative Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Anterior Cervical Discectomy and Fusion Surgery - DocWire News - November 22nd, 2020