[midwife]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/07/29/fas....ap/index.html

So LA has decided to try to ban new fast food outlets in LA---but only in a poor area of LA. We know that fast food is cheap and unhealthy and contributes to obesity, but where should the government step in?

Is this a timely public health intervention? Or paternalistic political posturing?

I think it is a little bit of both.

If one is trying to increase the health of the poorer sections of our culture, create safe places to walk, adequate jobs so people can afford healthy food, education in communities and schools, enhance physical education, and improve WIC to offer even more fresh fruits, veggies, and lean protein.

[Apple Cheeks]

There are fast food places and fat people in middle class & rich areas too. So why stop at just the poor neighborhoods?

Unfortunately, I think part of the problem is that it really is cheaper to eat junk food. I can go to Jack-In-The-Box and pick up some tacos for just a few dollars. Or I can go to the store, buy whole wheat tortillas, ground turkey, and fresh veggies and make my own for a lot more. If I had a very limited budget, what would I choose? Probably to eat the junk food so I could have more money to pay my bills.

[Tejas]

I think it is a good idea to ban them everywhere! (Of course, I know that wouldn't be done.)

It would help if the gov't would demand that inexpensive grocery stores with good, fresh food be placed in low income (all!) areas. Often, there is NO alternative to fast food in the poorer areas.

[K8-EEE]

IMO "value meals" are one of the number one causes of disease in the US....and beer, and soda and sugary cereal with cartoons on the boxes. They're all unhealthy and addictive as cigarettes. Terrible when the kids get hooked so early.

[Chemgirl22]

I would rather see the city encourage grocery stores and fresh food markets coming into that area of town. I've seen that in many big cities, the poorer areas do not have access to affordable fresh foods, so they get stuck in a cycle of eating bad junk food because that's the only things they can afford or can get. If they can get fresh foods, its often priced out of their budget.