Studies Examine Link Between Obesity, Lack Of Access To Healthy Foods.

On its front page, the New York Times  (4/18, A1, Kolata, Subscription Publication) reports that two new studies have found that poor urban neighborhoods "not only have more fast food restaurants and convenience stores than more affluent ones, but more grocery stores, supermarkets and full-service restaurants, too. And there is no relationship between the type of food being sold in a neighborhood and obesity among its children and adolescents." According to the Times, "some experts say these new findings raise questions about the effectiveness of efforts to combat the obesity epidemic simply by improving access to healthy foods." One study  was published in the journal Social Science and Medicine, and the other study  was published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine.