A Step Toward a Healthier South Los Angeles: Improving Student Food Options Through Healthy Sidewalk Vendor Legalization

Robert Baird
Community Health Councils

David C. Sloane
University of Southern California

Gabriel N. Stover
Gwendolyn Flynn
Community Health Councils

Obesity, especially among children and adolescents, is a critical issue that marginalized urban communities nationwide confront. This article reports on the results of a Health Impact Assessment (HIA) conducted regarding the reconsideration of a ban on sidewalk food vending in Los Angeles, California. The HIA explored the potential impacts that the regulatory change would have on the food environment near schools, which research shows can play an important role in the eating behaviors of young people, and examined potential ways to encourage healthy alternatives in this nutrition landscape.