Fast Food ban in South L.A. was reported unsuccessful. This has been the findings of the new research done in determining whether the popular law restricting opening of fast-food restaurants in South L.A. has lessened the problem of obesity.
According to Washington Post, RAND Corp. the one investigating on the effect of fast food ban has found that from 2007 to 2012, since the law has been passed, more obese people have been seen in South L.A. while the proportion of obese and overweight have also increased in the whole L.A. county.
"It had no meaningful effect," RAND senior economist Roland Sturm stated. "There's no evidence that diets have improved more in South LA. Obesity and overweight rates have not fallen."
From the data gathered by RAND Corp using Los Angeles County Department of Public Health's database of food-retail permits, Sturm and co-author Aiko Hattori have concluded that fast food ban has not decrease the numbers of the fast food restaurants in the area, but rather more numbers of convenience stores catering unhealthy food choices have been available to the public.
Fast food ban was implemented in South L.A. in 2008 particularly the south of interstate 10, the area with high percentage of obesity rate. Since then, stand-alone fast food restaurants were banned however, it didn't limit the numbers of fast food restaurants in the strip malls.
For this reason, fast food ban has been regarded as ineffective in arresting and lowering obesity rates in the poorest area of Los Angeles. According to Daily Mail Sturm concluded that it's no surprise why the result of the fast food ban has become ineffective.
Stand alone fast food restaurants hasn't opened since the law has been implemented, but what's surprising is that more and more small food stores and strip malls have opened convenience stores selling junk foods and sodas.
Moreover as fast food ban has been implemented, the big fast food brands opened 17 outlets inside the strip mall and food courts in South L.A., which is not anymore covered by the fast food ban ordinance.
In 2011, after the fast food ban has been put into practice, a shocking obesity rate of 75 percent of the South Los Angeles residents has been reported.
Hattori stated that unfortunately, the rates of the overweight and obesity increased and they increased fastest where fast food ban has been implemented.
