South L.A.'s fast food ban hasn't improved the city's obesity rates

A new study shows that South Los Angeles' 2008 ban on new fast-food restaurants hasn't lowered the area's obesity rate.

The Rand Corp. report, released Thursday, shows that from 2007 to 2012, the percentage of obese or overweight people increased in all areas of L.A. In fact, the area under the fast-food ban saw a higher obesity increase. Data from the California Health Interview Survey, conducted by the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, showed that from 2007 to 2012, the percentage of overweight or obese residents in South L.A. increased from 63 percent to 75 percent.

Roland Sturm, lead author of the study, told The Los Angeles Times that the ban was "symbolic," and nothing has changed since it went into effect.

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Some legislators are still hopeful the ban will inspire healthy habits, though. Councilman Bernard C. Parks, co-writer of the zoning restriction, told the Times that the city was never going to become more health-conscious overnight. He added that the city wanted to further the plan by adding more grocery stores and farmers markets instead of fast-food restaurants, though that hasn't happened yet.

The Times notes that the ban may have been too specific, since it only targets quick-service restaurants without table orders, and it doesn't affect many other restaurants that also serve unhealthy food. The restriction also didn't affect fast-food locations with shared space in strip malls, and 17 new fast-food restaurants still managed to open in South L.A. from 2008 to 2012.