Published: January 2015

ID #: 70548

Journal: Am J Public Health

Authors: Nixon L, Mejia P, Dorfman L

See more related research

Share


Over the past decade, communities have turned to zoning and land-use policies to restrict fast-food restaurants, and have done so for different reasons and with varied success. Investigators analyzed news coverage, legislative histories, and demographic data to understand what types of policies have been proposed, which communities have proposed them, and why. They identified 77 communities that proposed 100 separate fast food land-use policies between 2001 and 2013. Eighty of the policies were proposed to protect community aesthetics, while nutrition was the rationale for only 20 policies. Communities with more residents of color and larger, urban communities were more likely than majority-white communities to propose land-use policies focused on improving nutrition. Smaller, more affluent communities were more likely to pass land-use policies to preserve community appearance. Health-focused policies were subject to more criticism than other policies and were generally less successful; only 35 percent of nutrition-focused policies passed compared to 78 percent of other policies.

Related Research

December 2012

Evaluating the Public Debate Over Fast-Food Zoning Ordinances to Inform Efforts to Prevent Childhood Obesity

Zoning policies are a promising solution to improve the food environment in vulnerable communities, in part because they encompass a range of land use regulations that can be tailored to the specific needs of individual communities. This project will examine the extent and nature of public debates over successful and failed efforts to pass fast-food More

May 2026

Ultraprocessed Foods in the U.S.: Recommended Definitions and Policies

Despite growing interest in ultraprocessed foods (UPFs), there is not consensus on how to define UPFs for policy purposes. To meet this need, Healthy Eating Research convened an expert panel to develop evidence-informed recommendations for policymakers and advocates interested in advancing policies to limit UPF exposure and consumption at the local, state, and federal levels. More

April 2026

Policy Priorities and Research Needs for Advancing Healthy Eating: A 2026-2027 Research Agenda for U.S. Children and Adolescents

Given recent changes to nutrition policies and programs and the food environment landscape, the need for new evidence on how these changes impact nutrition, health, and food access is greater than ever. HER has also published a research agenda intended to provide a blueprint for immediate (i.e., 12-18 month) research needs to inform strategies to More