Study links takeaway planning changes to decrease in child obesity

A recent study indicates that modifications to planning permission regulations for new takeaway establishments within a specific local authority region could be associated with a decrease in childhood obesity. Researchers from Lancaster University conducted an analysis of the effects stemming from Gateshead Council’s decision in 2015 to implement what amounted to a prohibition on new fast food outlets. According to the researchers, certain areas of Gateshead experienced a 4.8% reduction in childhood obesity when contrasted with other areas in north-east England that did not adopt the same policy alteration. Alice Wiseman, the public health director for Gateshead and Newcastle councils, commented that policy adjustments have the potential to “chip away” at health issues of this nature. Professor Heather Brown noted that Gateshead Council was among the limited number of local authorities in England to enact this comprehensive policy change targeting takeaways. Her research team had previously asserted that the policy was connected to a 10% decrease in both the density and proportion of fast-food establishments within Gateshead. To ascertain if the policy could be associated with tangible health improvements, they contrasted obesity data with that from five North East councils—Stockton-on-Tees, Durham, Northumberland, Darlington, and Hartlepool—which had not implemented the identical measure. The team’s analysis was restricted to data up to 2019, attributed to the coronavirus pandemic’s influence on planning regulations. The researchers stated that Year 6 pupils residing in the different areas of Gateshead that had the highest concentration of takeaways prior to 2015 experienced the most significant impact from the policy change. They reported a “reduction of 4.8% in the prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity” when compared to the other areas included in their analysis. Professor Brown remarked, “It’s a pretty big effect,” further noting that this included some of the town’s most deprived children. The study concluded that “restricting” fast food outlets, when implemented as part of a “package of policies,” could contribute to helping “reduce prevalence and inequalities in childhood overweight and obesity.”