Obesity in the United States, which the media has called a national crisis, has also been linked to poverty rates. Large fast food industries target poor communities and spend millions of dollars each year to create advertisements appealing to these specific areas. These industries also target naive children in their advertisements because they know that eating habits developed in childhood usually carry over into adulthood. Children who are exposed to television commercials advertising unhealthy foods and who are not adequately informed about good nutrition will grow up and feed their families the same unhealthy foods they ate as children. Fast food giants are particularly successful in ensuring that young people have access to unhealthy foods by strategically placing their franchises near schools. They will often place three times as many outlets within walking distance of schools than in areas where there are no schools nearby. The way in which fast food advertising targets children is very alarming, given the importance of good nutrition for young people and how a child's eating habits can affect their growth and