Is there a link between the proximity of restaurants and the frequency that Canadian youth dine out and drink sugary drinks?

There are plenty of dining options for parents and children living in Canada’s largest cities of 100,000 or more people, with an estimated median of 5.9 full- or limited-service restaurants per square kilometer within a 10-to-15-minute walk from where most people live in residential areas.

A new study looks at the associations between the local restaurant environment, the frequency of eating food from restaurants, and the intake of sugary drinks among Canadian children and youth living in a large city.

The study, based on 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth data, found that Canadian youth visited a restaurant on average 2.2 times in the week prior to the survey. Youth aged 12 to 17 years (approximately 40%) were more likely to eat out two or more times in the week prior to the survey than children aged 6 to 11 years (33%) or 1 to 5 years (25%).

Canadian children and youth aged 3 to 17 years drank sugary drinks on average 5.2 times in the week prior to the survey. Children and youth were more likely to drink fruit juices or fruit drinks (on average 3.9 times in the previous week) than soft drinks (0.8 times). Youth aged 12 to 17 years drank sweetened coffee or tea and sweetened iced coffee or iced tea on average 1.5 times in the week prior to the survey. 

After adjusting for a range of sociodemographic factors, the study found no consistent associations between various measures of restaurant access—like density of fast-food or full-service restaurants and cafes within walking distance—and the frequency of eating food from restaurants or drinking sugary drinks.

The paper “The local restaurant environment in relation to eating out and sugary drink intake among Canadian children and youth” is now available.