Research
Energy balance
Increased availability and convenience of calorie-dense foods (e.g., fast food, processed meals, large portions) contributes to population obesity by increasing per capita energy intake relative to expenditure.
To combat obesity, focus on reducing the availability and convenience of calorie-dense foods in your environment, such as limiting access to fast food and large portions, rather than relying solely on willpower.
ModerateSupportsMEDIUM confidence
Taken together, it seems possible that trends toward increased availability and convenience in food distribution may have contributed to net increases in per capita food intake relative to energy expenditure in the United States.
Why this rating
Based on observational data, temporal trends, and cross-sectional associations; the paper notes definitive conclusions are 'far from clear' due to methodological limitations.
Source
The Changing Environment and Population Obesity in the United States
Robert W. Jeffery et al. · Obesity Research · 2003
DOI 10.1038/oby.2003.221
narrative_reviewCited 230×
Read the paper DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10
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