Driving in traffic is linked to health issues and bad eating habits

Picture this: You’re stuck in traffic after a long day at work. The minutes drag on, your stomach growls, and the thought of cooking dinner feels exhausting.

As you inch forward, a glowing fast food sign appears. The drive-thru promises a quick and easy meal. Before you know it, you’ve placed your order and are back on the road, burger in hand.

This scenario plays out for millions every day, and new research shows that it’s more than just a one-time convenience.

Unexpected traffic delays cause a measurable increase in fast food consumption, leading to millions of extra visits each year.

Traffic delays and fast food consumption

Many people think of traffic as an inconvenience, but it also shapes everyday decisions, including what and where they eat.

The research focused on Los Angeles County, an area known for heavy congestion. The findings showed that even minor delays can shift eating behaviors, leading more people to opt for quick and convenient fast food.

Study co-author Becca Taylor is an assistant professor in the College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

“In our analysis focusing on Los Angeles County, unexpected traffic delays beyond the usual congestion led to a 1% increase in fast food visits. That might not sound like a lot, but it’s equivalent to 1.2 million more fast food visits per year in LA County alone,” noted Professor Taylor.

“We describe our results as being modest but meaningful in terms of potential for changing unhealthy food choices.”

Link between traffic and food choices

To establish a connection between congestion and fast food visits, Taylor and her co-authors examined traffic patterns over two years.

They used real-time data to track daily highway conditions and matched it with cell phone records showing how many users entered fast food establishments.

The analysis revealed a clear relationship. When unexpected slowdowns occurred, fast food visits increased. The pattern remained strong across different time scales, from entire days down to individual hours.

Even a brief delay – just 30 seconds per mile – was enough to raise fast food consumption by one percent.

Small delays add up

For many commuters, a 30-second delay per mile might seem insignificant. However, Taylor explained how this minor inconvenience translates into real-world frustration and decision-making.

“It might not be intuitive to imagine what a 30-second delay per mile feels like,” said Taylor. “I think of it as the difference between 10 a.m. traffic and 5 p.m. traffic.”

These seemingly small interruptions create ripple effects that influence behavior. People already dealing with long commutes may lose patience and opt for faster meal solutions rather than preparing food at home or making a stop at the grocery store.

Evening rush hour

The researchers broke down traffic and eating patterns by the hour, uncovering a significant spike in fast food consumption during the evening rush.

Between 5 and 7 p.m., when many drivers are heading home from work, the increase in fast food purchases was most noticeable.

At the same time, grocery store visits declined slightly, suggesting that people skipped buying ingredients to cook at home in favor of quicker options.

“If there’s traffic between 5 and 7 p.m., which happens to be right around the evening meal time, we see an increase in fast food visits,” Taylor said.

“Drivers have to make a decision about whether to go home and cook something, stop at the grocery store first, or just get fast food.”

Traffic and food habits in other cities

Los Angeles is notorious for its congestion, but it is far from the only place where traffic affects daily life.

Most major cities experience similar rush hour patterns, with highways lined by fast food restaurants offering an easy way to grab a meal without additional stops.

Because of this, Taylor and her co-authors believe their findings apply well beyond Los Angeles. Any city with significant traffic delays and a high concentration of fast food options near busy roads could experience the same trend.

The connection between congestion and food choices may explain why many urban areas struggle with rising fast food consumption and related health concerns.

Policy solutions to address the issue

Beyond individual choices, the study suggests that traffic itself may be a public health concern. When people face time constraints, they often prioritize convenience over nutrition.

Addressing these constraints could encourage healthier eating habits.

“Our results contribute to the literature suggesting time constraints are really important to the food choices people make. Any policies aimed at loosening time constraints – and traffic is essentially lost time – could help battle unhealthy eating,” Taylor said.

“That could mean improvements in infrastructure to mitigate traffic congestion, expanding public transport availability, and potentially increasing work from home opportunities.”

By easing congestion and reducing commute times, cities could influence not just transportation efficiency but also public health.

Expanding public transportation, improving road infrastructure, and offering more flexible work arrangements may help people make better food choices.

A new way to look at traffic

Most people think of traffic as nothing more than an unavoidable part of modern life. However, this study suggests that congestion influences more than just travel times. It shapes behavior, pushing people toward fast food simply because they feel they have no better option.

Understanding the link between traffic and food habits could open the door for smarter policies that address both issues at once.

By improving transportation systems and reducing time lost in traffic, cities might also help people make healthier choices, leading to long-term benefits for individuals and communities alike.

The study is published in the Journal of Urban Economics.

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