Association between food-outlet availability near secondary schools and junk-food purchasing among Australian adolescents

Objectives: We sought to investigate the association between food-outlet availability near Australian second-ary schools and frequency of Australian students' discretionary food purchases. Methods: Secondary-school students in Perth (Western Australia) reported the frequency of their discretion-ary food purchases from food outlets near their school (17 schools, n = 2389 students grades 7-12, ages 12-17 y). Food-outlet availability was sourced from local governments, then geocoded. A mixed-effects model was used in analyses. 3Results: Almost half of students (45%) purchased discretionary foods from food outlets near their secondary school at least weekly. Only the density of top-ranking fast-food chain outlets near secondary schools was associated with a significant increase in the frequency of discretionary food purchases. Conclusions: Availability of major fast-food chains near Australian secondary schools appears to be a key driver of Australian students' discretionary food purchasing. Restricting these outlets near schools may help reduce adolescents' discretionary food intake.3 (c) 2021 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Automated summary

The study found a significant association between the density of major fast-food chain outlets near Australian secondary schools and the frequency of students' discretionary food purchases, suggesting that restricting these outlets near schools may help reduce adolescents' discretionary food intake.