Corner Stores Are Making Kids Fat

by Deborah Dunham (Subscribe to Deborah Dunham's posts)
Oct 15th 2009 12:00PM

Visiting the local corner store brings back childhood memories for many people -- a soda after school with friends, gum while en route to the high school football game or cookies with teammates after an extra-long practice. Even Charlie from "Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory" is remembered for visiting his local corner store in search of a Wonka Bar with one of the Golden Tickets.

What was once an occasional treat for school-age kids is now a daily trend that could be contributing to childhood obesity, according to new research published in the journal Pediatrics. In this study, more than 800 urban children in Philadelphia were surveyed about their buying habits at local corner stores. What was discovered was not only the number of times the young fourth- to sixth-graders frequented the store, but the amount of food purchased with very little money.

More than half of these inner-city children reported shopping at the corner store every day before or after school. With an average purchase of just $1.07, they were able to afford an eight-ounce drink, a single serving bag of chips, an assortment of candy or gum and a Popsicle. That amounts to more than 350 calories per visit with items high in calories, fat and/or sugar, and low in nutrients.

Daily snacks like these can have devastating effects on a child's weight -- not to mention their energy levels, school performance and overall health. In a country where one-third of our children are overweight, those numbers are even higher in low socioeconomic neighborhoods, where they average 50 percent.

Is it a coincidence that these are the same neighborhoods near both corner stores and schools? Or, do the additional calories stem from a bigger issue, like parenting, since the snack money most likely comes from home? Either way, if we could educate kids on the importance of eating right, they could probably still get an apple and water for the same dollar -- with a lot more healthy bang for their buck.

Comments (4)

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

melanie Boudar 10-15-2009 @ 1:50PM

when I was a kid in the 60's we bought penny candy everyday at the local store. We did not get fat. Our parents packed our lunch, we ran and played in the woods after school until it was time for dinner.We didn't play nintendo games or watch TV.WE were not served soda at dinner time. Todays lifestyle and parents bad choices and lack of educating their children are making them fat.

liz 10-16-2009 @ 11:46AM

I loved the corner store right across from our elementary school (this was the 1960s). We went therer probably close to everyday. But we also walked 3 1/2 blocks to school in the morning and in the afternoon, PLUS walked home for lunch, every single day. We ran, we played. So the penny candy was fine.

Today's world is different and the old one isn't coming back. Personally, I think giving a kid a buck a day for treats is a lot of money. My personal thinking is that I'd only allow that once every week or two. There's enough junk in the house!

It's not necessarily easy to get your family healthy. While my kids are older I'm still on the lookout for ways to try to model good behavior, plus, I'm always on the lookout to help my niece and her young family, as well. So take a look at "Family Fit," (noggingpower2.com) which outlines ways to create a healthy family and healthy family lifestyle. (And yes, French fries are still possible!). The book makes a healthy lifestyle easy, fun and doable, as money spent is minimal. And it brings families closer together. The book even has a section on family and school support, plus parenting tips.

hrootbeer 10-18-2009 @ 9:23AM

Everyone these days is sensitive about their image and there look. I wanted to lose a few pounds and get back into some old clothes. this site www.newyou3030.com helped out alot. It helped me and I know it can help you too.

liz 10-20-2009 @ 12:51PM

Oops! So sorry for not putting in the right link above: try www.nogginpower2.com (I put an extra "g" in there before!).

Also -- did anyone see the news story today about school lunches? Add unhealthy lunches to unhealthy corner store habits and it's no wonder we're seeing so many overweight kids. Time to try a healthier lifestyle.