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FAST FOOD CONSUMPTION AND ITS EFFECTS

Fast Food Consumption and its Effects on Youth

Cassidy Robello
Liberty High School

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FAST FOOD CONSUMPTION AND ITS EFFECTS

Abstract
The objective of this paper is to address that fast food restaurants play a big contribution to
obesity in children throughout America. With the high amounts of money being put into
marketing/advocating fast food products, consumption has grown. Obesity causes multiple
health risks that effect a childs future and lifestyle. The convenience of fast food plays a big
role in obesity as well. Throughout this paper marketing effects on purchases of fast food will
be discussed, along with health risks of obesity due to consumption of poor diet in children, and
how convenient fast food is in the U.S for American families.

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FAST FOOD CONSUMPTION AND ITS EFFECTS

Fast Food Consumption and its Effects on Youth in the U.S.

Introduction
Throughout America, there are close to 50,000 fast food chains (

). Being

surrounded by fast food restaurants, it is easy to blame them for the reason of obesity in our
youth. Considering that children between the ages of six and fourteen, eat fast food
157,000,000 times monthly (

). The consumption of fast food has increased

immensely throughout the past couple decades in the United States. There are justifications for
why fast food consumptions have increased such as socio-economic status and food
environments, such as rural verses urban. In addition, fast food restaurants disregard the
healthy, proportionally sized meals, concluding that their intentions are far from different than
simply filling up their costumers stomachs. With so many chains of restaurants directing our
society to obesity, leads Americans to believing obesity is our local McDonalds fault; leaving
Americans self-responsibility nonexistent.
Marketing
Fast food restaurants are the go-to place to eat because of clever marketing, resulting in
weight gain and energy loss. In the early 2000s, health effects such as diabetes, focused
attention on the role of food marketing (Lewin, 2006). Clever marketing of fast food, results in
health problems throughout America. From television commercials, promotions, movies, all
types of social media advocate different fast food restaurants; it may be difficult to escape. In

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FAST FOOD CONSUMPTION AND ITS EFFECTS

todays society, food marketers spend $10 billion every year to target children through
measured media (Lewin, 2006).
Carls Jr. for instance, advocates their products by using sex to lure in customers. For
their commercials they use models such as Kim Kardashian and Kate Upton, eating their food in
a sexual manner (Carls Jr commercial). Giving customers the illusion that sexy girls will be
attracted to men if they consume the food, or the illusion that women will be sexy if they
consume the food.
Promotions
Fast food restaurants such as McDonalds for example, lure children to come eat their
food by creating Playhouses connected to their restaurant. Also, several fast food places offer
toys if children purchase meals. In addition with toys, cartoon characters are also used to
persuade children to come in and buy food/beverages because the characters will be displayed
on the boxes holding the food and the cups.
With children eating fast food around 157,000,000 times monthly, several problems
with health come into action (

). Since fast food consumption is rising in the American

diet, fast food chains have amplified from 30,000 in 1970 to 222,000 in 2002 (Paeratakul, 2003).
Giving children an easy, cheap access to obesity. Fast food is especially popular among
adolescents, who on average visit a fast-food outlet twice per week, (Paeratakul, 2003). Since
our youth consists of 67.3% of our population, if they are obese our population as a whole will
have a high percentage of obesity. In 2004, 17.1% of children and adolescents ages two to
nineteen were obese (Mitgang, 2011).

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FAST FOOD CONSUMPTION AND ITS EFFECTS

In addition, obesity causes multiple health risks in childhood. A study published in

Pediatrics in 2004 found fast-food consumption in children was linked with many dangerous
precursors for obesity (Fleck, 2013). Obesity affects the human body both physically and
psychologically. Some physical health risks from obesity are respiratory disorders (such as
asthma), endocrine disorders (such as diabetes), orthopaedic disorders (such as joint
problems), and cardiovascular disorders (such as high blood pressure) (

). Not only is

that not all of the physical health risks from obesity, but there are psychological health risks like
stigmatism, discrimination and prejudice, poor self-esteem; social exclusion and/or bullying,
depression, and poor social functioning(

). All health risks can come into action just by

what you put in your mouth at a restaurant.

Most Americans dont realize what they are eating when they order their food at fast
food restaurants. Hamburgers and French fries are the top leading orders, and they may taste
delicious but are terrible for your body. A small order of French fries usually contains 200
calories and 10 grams of fat (Paeratakul, 2013). A large hamburger also contains around 600
calories and 35 grams of fat (Paeratakul, 2003). Real meat from a cow and French fries cut
straight from a potato will normally rot immensely in a time period of two weeks (
But from an experiment conducted on YouTube, it showed that a McDonalds a hamburger
didnt start rotting until around five weeks of sitting out (

). And the French fries

never began rotting even after ten weeks of sitting out. How come? Because of all the
chemicals and preservatives they inject in their food. That way it can be saved to sell the next
day if it is not bought the day of. Saving the company an abundance amount of money.

).

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FAST FOOD CONSUMPTION AND ITS EFFECTS

Children love to eat chicken nuggets from McDonalds, and with it being cheap, parents
dont hesitate to get their children some. But what they dont know is they arent feeding their
children just regular chicken nuggets, chicken nuggets at McDonalds are a mixture of bones
and carcass of a leftover chicken body. (Jacques, 2013.) There are several cases similar to this
with many fast food products. Fast food companies serve foods that can and likely will, cause
health problems. That is why many Americans believe restaurants could care less about their
customers. With their food being high in fat and their menus lacking the correct amount of
vegetables and fruits, it looks as if fast food restaurants are out to get us (Paeratakul, 2003).
Hypothetically thinking, if most Americans didnt know what they were eating
when they ate out, they may choose to do so simply because of its convenience. With low
prices, several different locations, and with how fast and easy it is it makes American families
lives a little bit easier. Greater access to fast food restaurants has been associated with less
favorable diet quality and increased obesity (Laska, 2010).
Studies show that middle class families are the leading percentage of Americans who
consume the most fast food (Hamm, 2013). According to the study to be published in the
Journal for Population Health Management, a household earning $60,000 a year eats the most
fast food (Hamm, 2013). Parents that work several hours five days out of the week typically
dont want to come home and make a full meal. Going out, or making a five minute stop on the
way home from work to eat is much quicker and easier. Children that also participate in
extracurricular activities, that either rely on their parents, guardians, or themselves to transport

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FAST FOOD CONSUMPTION AND ITS EFFECTS

them to one location to another. Grabbing a quick, good-tasting meal makes the day seem less
stressful.
Acknowledging that the middle class American families are the ones eating fast food the
most, that doesnt mean we should disregard the several other factors of high fast food
consumption. As discussed previously, locations with more access to fast food restaurants have
more people suffering from obesity, people who live in the city are more obese than people
who live out in the country. Because of convenience, people who live in rural locations are less
likely to drive out of the way to eat, but people who live in urban locations are more likely to
have a fast food restaurant down the street.
Another factor of why eating fast food can be looked at as acceptable can be because of
the price. Parents that feel they dont have the money to go grocery shopping as much as they
should. This can result in buying a cheap meal for themselves and their family. Low-income
neighborhoods lack full-service grocery stores and farmers markets that have a variety of
fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products (Beaulac, 2009). Different families
have different socio-economic statuses, and reasons of why they feel they are making the best
decisions for their families. There are several factors to why fast food consumption is a part of
their lives.
Fast food will always be a part of Americans lives. And it has increased to have such a
huge impact in families throughout the country. Fast food industries take advantage of
vulnerable situations and lives of many every day. Marketers go above and beyond to persuade
people, especially children, to come in and eat large abundances of food consisting of fatty

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FAST FOOD CONSUMPTION AND ITS EFFECTS

foods, sugar, and lack of vegetables and fruits. With so many Americans eating fast food
thousands of times, obesity has come into effect. Obesity causes several health risks,
specifically with children, and there is a direct correlation between fast food. Of course selfresponsibility can be put into place, but convenience is high priority here in the United States.

References
Mitgang, M. (2009). Childhood Obesity and State Intervention: An Examination of the Health
Risks of Pediatric Obesity and When They Justify State Involvement.

The Health risks of obesity in childhood. (2007, Spring). Health and Hygiene, 28(1), 9.

Paeratakul, S. (2003, October). Fast-food consumption among US adults and children:

Dietary and nutrient intake profile . 103(10), doi: 10.1053/S0002-8223(03)01086-1

Lewin, A. (2006). COMMENTARY Food Industry Promises to Address Childhood Obesity:

Preliminary Evaluation. Journal of Public Health Policy, 27(4), doi:
10.1057/palgrave.jphp. 3200098

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http://healtheating.sgfgate.com/junk-food-affects-children-5985.html

http://thenational.ae/lifestyle/family/the-immediate-effect-fast-food-has-onchildren.html

http://health.harvard.edu/blog/think-fast-when-kids-want-fast-food-201301315846

http://pcrm.org/health/reports/the-five-worst-healthy-fast-food-kids-meals
http://stopcorporateabuse.org/countering-fast-foods-health-effects
www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/11/20/fast-food-truths-n-4296243.html
https://www.youtube.com/watch?V=8uHxRwQqWFo
www.thesimpledollar.com/fast-food-convenience-and-money
frac.org/initiatives/hunger-and-obesity/why-are-low-income-and-food-insecure-peoplevulnerable-to-obesity/