title: Association between neighbourhood fast-food and full-service restaurant density and body mass index: a cross-sectional study of Canadian adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Frequent fast-food consumption is a well-known risk factor for obesity. This study sought to determine whether the availability of fast-food restaurants has an influence on body mass index (BMI).
  
  
  METHODS
  BMI and individual-level confounding variables were obtained from the 2007-08 Canadian Community Health Survey. Neighbourhood socio-demographic variables were acquired from the 2006 Canadian Census. The geographic locations of all restaurants in Canada were assembled from a validated business registry database. The density of fast-food, full-service and non-chain restaurants per 10,000 individuals was calculated for respondents' forward sortation area. Multivariable regression analyses were conducted to analyze the association between restaurant density and BMI.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fast-food, full-service and non-chain restaurant density variables were statistically significantly associated with BMI. Fast-food density had a positive association whereas full-service and non-chain restaurant density had a negative association with BMI (additional 10 fast-food restaurants per capita corresponded to a weight increase of 1 kilogram; p&lt;0.001). These associations were primarily found in Canada's major urban jurisdictions.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This research was the first to investigate the influence of fast-food and full-service restaurant density on BMI using individual-level data from a nationally representative Canadian survey. The finding of a positive association between fast-food restaurant density and BMI suggests that interventions aiming to restrict the availability of fast-food restaurants in local neighbourhoods may be a useful obesity prevention strategy.
authors.forename: Simon
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hollands
authors.forename: M Karen
authors.initials: MK
authors.lastname: Campbell
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Gilliland
authors.affiliation: University of Western Ontario. ssarma2@uwo.ca.
authors.forename: Sisira
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sarma
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002170:Canada / Q000453:epidemiology; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D057140:Fast Foods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D009765:Obesity / Q000453:epidemiology; D012111:Residence Characteristics / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012147:Restaurants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012307:Risk Factors
keywords: Obesity; body mass index; environment and public health; fast foods