Density of Fast Food Outlets around Educational Facilities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia: Geospatial Analysis

Alaa Ashraf AlQurashi, Dian Kusuma, Hala AlJishi, Ali AlFaiz and Abdulaziz AlSaad
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Alaa Ashraf AlQurashi: Applied Clinical Research Administration, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh 11525, Saudi Arabia
Dian Kusuma: Centre for Health Economics & Policy Innovation, Imperial College Business School, London SW7 2AZ, UK
Hala AlJishi: Research Services Administration, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh 11525, Saudi Arabia
Ali AlFaiz: Research Services Administration, King Fahad Medical City, Riyadh 11525, Saudi Arabia
Abdulaziz AlSaad: College of Sciences, King Saud University, Riyadh 11451, Saudi Arabia

IJERPH, 2021, vol. 18, issue 12, 1-10

Abstract: Background: Childhood obesity remains a public health issue globally. The latest estimate from the World Health Organization showed that over 340 million children and adolescents aged 5–19 were overweight or obese in 2016. Objective: Our study aimed to assess the density of fast food outlets around educational facilities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: We employed geospatial and quantitative analyses using data on fast food outlets (from surveys conducted between November 2019 and May 2020) and educational facilities in Riyadh city. Data analyses conducted using ArcMap 10.6 and Stata 15 compared the density within 500 m and 500–1000 m from the facilities. Results: We found a high density of fast food outlets around educational facilities. Nearly 80% of fast food were within twelve-minute walking or five-minute driving distances from schools, and nearly 70% of all educational facilities had at least one fast food outlet within the buffer. We also found the densities were high within both the areas closer and the areas farther away from educational facilities. In addition, the density was significantly higher around private schools compared to government schools, and the density around girls-only schools and both-gender schools was higher than that around boys-only schools. Conclusion: There is a high density of fast food outlets around educational facilities in Saudi Arabia. Effective policies are needed to help reduce potential exposure to fast food among young people in Saudi Arabia and other countries with similar settings.

Keywords: density; fast food; outlets; schools; Saudi Arabia (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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