article_snippet: Roland Sturm (above), a senior economist at RAND Corporation, said the much-hailed Los Angeles fast-food ban did little to reshape the retail food landscape in the targeted area .
article_snippet: the much-hailed Los Angeles fast-food ban did not  decrease obesity in poor neighborhoods because residents found unhealthy food at restaurants in strip malls and convenience stores instead, a new study has found.
article_snippet: the much-hailed Los Angeles fast-food ban went into effect in South Los Angeles and restricted the opening or expansion of standalone fast-food restaurants.
article_snippet: Rand researchers reviewed permits issued by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, which inspects food outlets.
article_snippet: The South Los Angeles fast food ban may have symbolic value, but The South Los Angeles fast food ban has had no measurable impact in improving diets or reducing obesity,' said Sturm.
article_snippet: a new study also revealed that  obesity rates following The South Los Angeles fast food ban have been significantly larger in South Los Angeles compared to other parts of South Los Angeles.
article_snippet: However, a positive development was a drop in soft drink consumption since 2007, which also occurred across South Los Angeles. '
article_snippet: The one bright spot we found is that soft drink consumption dropped, but the decrease was similar in all areas across Los Angeles,' said co-author of a new study, Aiko Hattori of the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. '
article_snippet: The ordinance was opposed by the California Restaurant Association.
article_snippet: Spokeswoman Janna Haynes said the California Restaurant Association had no comment on the Rand study.