Fast Food Influences in the School District of Philadelphia
An evaluation of Philadelphia fast-food locations relative to minority-based and white-based school locations
The Rise of Fast Food
In modern society, fast food has become a normalized commodity. Going to a Burger King, waiting no longer than 5 minutes to receive a whopper burger, and going about the rest of your day is nothing out of the ordinary. In fact, over 11 million people order a whopper burger each day! The downside to this is that fast food can be highly addictive and highly detrimental.
- Have excessively high levels of sugars and fat often leading to obesity and diabetes
- Have excessively high levels of sodium causing hypertension (high blood pressure) and water retention
- Researchers have shown that 20% of children between the ages of 5 and 18 living within a half-block of a fast-food restaurant were obese and 38% were overweight
- Can have high amounts of trans fat (the worst type of fat to eat) which increases the risk for heart disease, the leading killer of adults
- 42% of African Americans over the age of 20 have hypertension (high blood pressure) compared with 28.7% of non-Hispanic white adults
The graph shows the age-adjusted death rates for heart disease for various racial/ethnic groups. Data was taken from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) "Health, United States Spotlight Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Heart Disease" report.
Problem Statement: How might we identify locations experiencing disproportionate fast food influences to target for social change?
Our Solution
Our research focuses on the influences of fast food on youth. Many youths who are consistently exposed to fast food at young age gain habits of eating fast food, causing major declines in their health either as children or as adults. Specifically, we have seen the prevalence of this issue in minority communities, especially the black community. Our research analyzes a diverse urban city school district (The School District of Philadelphia). By analyzing the proximity of fast food locations, one can notice the strong influences fast food has in specific areas within the school districts relative to various racial/ethnic communities.
The Client
Our solution focuses on a nonprofit/NGO seeking to promote sustainability in urban cities through environmental education and exposure. Specifically, nonprofits hoping to build school gardens and promote healthy eating. Data regarding the demographics of various locations could allow the NGO to find a specific target/focus area. Data regarding school locations relative to fast food locations, school diversity, and even school funding all will be useful information for our ideal NGO client.
Maps
This map shows the diversity (based on census tracts) of the school district of interest. Brown represents non-Hispanic white communities, yellow represents non-Hispanic black communities, green represents Hispanic communities, and purple/pink represents non-Hispanic Asian communities.
This map shows you the locations of public schools and fast food locations (see the legend to find their respective symbols) within the School District of Philadelphia.
The following map is showing areas of the high density of fast food (high amounts of fast food locations in close proximity to one another). This is layered over the race layer.
This is showing the school locations (colored in the predominated race/ethnic tracts they are based in) layered over the fast food density. This identifies areas with high density of fast food locations and compares it to the predominate race in the local schools.
Our Results
The dashboard above shows calculated averages and minimums of fast foods within a 5-mile distance of specific racial/ethnic-based schools The dashboard also shows the average class density of various schools based on their racial/ethnic predominance.
The bar graphs represent the different causes of high demand for fast food in different racial communities such as spending for school lunches and average income. The pie charts represent the effects of high concentrations of fast food in different POC areas by showing the rates of different diet-related health issues/recommendations of various racial groups.
Key Points:
- Hispanic and/or Latinx schools are in environments with a minimum school to fast food ratio that is nearly 3 times larger than other racial/ethnic groups
- Non-Hispanic black communities live in an average density class that is larger than other non-Hispanic white communities
- Hispanic and/or Latinx communities live in communities with about 11% more proximate fast food locations
- Hispanic and/or Latinx communities have an average school lunch spending of 402,300, the lowest spending of all other racial/ethnic groups
- African American / black communities have a higher predicted likelihood to require diets for cholesterol (41.16%) and blood sugar (38.76%), second to Hispanic and/or Latinx communities.
Designing an Action Plan
The community most heavily affected by fast-food influence within the School District of Philadelphia is the Hispanic and/or Latinx communities. The focus for our NGO client is in these communities. Due to capacity and feasibility reasons, the client may only be able to offer programs to a small number of schools. We evaluated all of the Hispanic and/or Latinx schools within Philadelphia and selected the top four schools with the highest percentage spending on food outside/from restaurants, at least 80% Hispanic/Latinx population, income under $40,000 per year, and the total school enrollment is at least 700 students.
The high priority schools are: DeBurgos Bilingual Magnet Middle School and John B. Stetson Charter School (a middle school)
Conclusion
- African American/Black and Hispanic/Latinx schools are disproportionately affected by high-density fast food regions in health, fast food spending, and influence in general. Within The School District of Philadelphia, Hispanic/Latinx communities are affected the most out of any other racial/ethnic group. For this, reason, they are the focus of the project. Assuming our client's capacity is limited, we needed to target specific schools that are a high priority for our client's solutions. After evaluating these schools on multiple criteria (including percent spent on restaurants, income, total enrollment, etc.), the schools that are identified as top priority are DeBurgos Bilingual Magnet Middle School and John B. Stetson Charter School.
