As a result of this study, there have been calls to create zoning laws that ban fast food establishments from existing near schools in many major urban locations within the U.S. "I think we got as close to proving causation…as is feasible with the existing data," said one of the paper's authors, adding "we're quite confident that these are credible and unbiased estimates of the causal effect of fast food on obesity" (Rabin 2010, p.1). He also noted other studies that showed the proximity of fast food establishments to be conducive to weight gain in pregnant women. A longitudinal study found women who lived within a half-mile of a fast-food restaurant were at increased risk of gaining more than 44 pounds during a pregnancy compared with those living farther away (Rabin 2010, p.1). After the study was published a city councilman in New York City, called for a proposal to prohibit new fast-food restaurants within a tenth of a mile of all city schools (Buckley 2010, p.1).

A National Restaurant Association...

(2009, April 20). A proposal to separate fast food and schools. The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2010 at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/04/20/nyregion/20obese.html
Prince, Rosa. (2008, January 21). Government may ban fast food near schools. The Telegraph.

Retrieved August 13, 2010 at http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1576136/Government-may-ban-fast-food-near-schools.html

Rabin, Roni Caryn. (2009, March 29). Proximity to fast food a factor in student obesity. The New York Times. Retrieved August 13, 2010 at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/26/health/nutrition/26obese.html