Planning rules aimed at restricting the number of new fast-food outlets have been shown to reduce childhood obesity in areas with the highest concentration of these premises.
The conclusion was drawn from a study that investigated the impact of the decision by Gateshead.
Council to introduce new planning guidelines in 2015 that effectively banned any new fast-food outlets from opening within its jurisdiction. Researchers wanted to understand whether the policy led to any reductions in childhood overweight and obesity prevalence and inequalities in these outcomes.
Although the study, published in the Obesity journal, found no significant change in population-level childhood overweight and obesity in Gateshead compared with control areas, a subgroup analysis found that children living in the second most deprived quintile, which had the highest proportion of fast-food outlets, had a statistically significant 4.8% reduction in the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity compared with control areas.
Researchers concluded that the evidence shows this type of planning policy can be an effective tool for reducing childhood overweight and obesity rates in areas with a high concentration of fast-food outlets.
Previous evidence has shown that fast-food consumption and the location of fast-food outlets is strongly associated with a higher energy intake and a higher prevalence of childhood obesity, with the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity found in the most economically deprived communities.
Gateshead, located in North East England, is in the top 15% most deprived local authorities in the country. In 2014, 36.7% of year 6 children (ages 10 to 11 years) were living with overweight and obesity compared with 33.5% in England.
Research published by Public Health England (since disbanded) in 2018 found that England’s poorest areas are fast-food hotspots, with five times more outlets found in these communities than in the most affluent areas.
The Gateshead study cited evidence of a 10% reduction in the density and proportion of fast-food outlets within four years of the council implementing its planning policy, which is equivalent to a blanket-ban on obtaining permission for change of use or building of a new premise to be designated as a fast-food outlet.
The national trend, however, is heading in the opposite direction. Data from the Food Standards Agency show the average density of fast-food outlets increased from 142 to 170 per 100,000 residents between 2019 and the end of 2021.
National public health guidance encourages local authorities to use the planning system to create environments that are supportive of promoting a healthy weight. The study noted how approximately 50% of local authorities have employed planning guidelines restricting planning permission for new fast-food outlets to promote a healthier food environment.
