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The overall objectives of this project are to study inequality in New York City’s food environment, and more specifically, the distribution of fast food restaurants. Specifically, this project will study spatial associations between school density and fast food density, investigate environmental determinants of fast food density, and explore the circumstances in which fast food restaurateurs open and operate their businesses. Particular emphasis will be on low-income and predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods, which have high rates of obesity. This study focuses on children in grades K through 12 in an urban setting.
Start Date: September 2007
ID #: 63155
Principal Investigator: Naa Oyo Kwate, PhD
Organization: Columbia University
Funding Round: New Connections Round 1
Age Groups: Adolescents (grades 9 to 12), Elementary-age children (grades K to 5), Young adolescents (grades 6 to 8)
Race/Ethnicity: African American or Black, Latino(a) or Hispanic, Multi-racial/ethnic
Keywords: Fast food, Food insecurity, Food outlet, Geographic information systems, Neighborhood, Restaurant, Urban
Focus Areas: Food Access, School & After School
Resource Type: Grant Summary
State: New York
Related Research
August 2010
Separate and Unequal: The Influence of Neighborhood and School Characteristics on Spatial Proximity Between Fast Food and Schools
This article examines the location of fast food restaurants near schools in New York City, based on school type, school racial demographics and area racial and socioeconomic demographics. Researchers found that a minimum of 25% of schools had fast food restaurants within 400 meters. High schools had higher fast food clustering than elementary schools, and MoreMarch 2009
Inequality in Obesigenic Environments: Fast Food Density in New York City
This paper documents the relation between racial and socioeconomic inequalities and the density of fast food in New York City. The researchers found that areas that were predominantly Black had higher densities of fast food than predominantly White areas, regardless of income level. Such results highlight the need to develop policy-level interventions to address racial MoreDecember 2025