A study published in the CDC's journal Preventing Chronic Disease: Public Health Research, Practice, and Policy may dispel the link between food deserts and obesity.
Researchers examined the choices Los Angeles County adults made regarding their food and drinks, the proximity of the adults' homes to fast-food outlets, grocery stores and convenience stores, and the adults' body mass index.
Ultimately, the study revealed that food choice and BMI was linked with numerous factors — not just proximity — including the cost of food, cultural preferences and marketing.
"Access to healthier foods is necessary but not sufficient to improve nutrition and mitigate the short-term and long-term health effects of suboptimal nutritional intake," wrote the study authors. "Interventions must also address issues of preparation of these healthier foods for consumption. Access and purchasing behavior are first steps in changing dietary intake."
Although many factors may influence consumers' choices and obesity rates, the problem of food deserts should not be ignored either, according to some experts.
Paul Simon, MD, director of the Division of Chronic Disease and Injury Prevention at the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, told the Los Angeles Times, "It would be a mistake to conclude that the food environment is not important."
Dr. Simon also argued that combating obesity will take a multi-pronged approach that includes education and changing attitudes, according to the report.
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