Links to proximity of fast food restaurants.

• Position: Body Mass Index

African-American adults living closer to a fast food restaurant have a higher body mass index (BMI) than those who live farther away from fast food, according to researchers at the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, and this association particularly is strong among those with a lower income.

"According to prior research, African-Americans, particularly women, have higher rates of obesity than other ethnic groups, and the gap is growing," says Lorraine Reitzel, assistant professor in the Department of Health Disparities Research. "The results of this study add to the literature indicating that a person's neighborhood environment and the foods that they're exposed to can contribute to a higher BMI."

Reitzel points out that this is an important population group for researchers to examine because of the health consequences that are associated with obesity among African-Americans, including diabetes, cancer, and heart disease.

The study controlled for factors that may influence a person's BMI, including gender, age, physical activity, individual household income, median neighborhood income, education, partner status, employment status, and residential tenure. Sedentary behaviors, including the amount of time the participant spent watching television, were considered as well. Researchers also controlled for the presence of children in the home because of its known relation with physical activity rates.

Researchers examined the density of fast food restaurants around each participant's home. On average, there were 2.5 fast food restaurants within a half-mile, 4.5 within one mile, 11.4 within two miles, and 71.3 within five miles of participants' homes. "We found a significant relationship between the number of fast food restaurants and BMI for within a half-mile, one mile, and two miles of the home, but...