A new study has found that schools in Adelaide's poorer suburbs will be 10 times more likely to have fast-food outlets built near them than in more affluent areas of the city.

The University of South Australia survey said that the fast food chains were specifically focusing on areas where outlets were easily accessible to poorer schools, Adelaide Now reported.

It was clear to the university's Dr Neil Coffee that children from poorer families were being targeted and they had no other option but to indulge in unhealthy diets.

The University of South Australia study revealed that Adelaide's poorer suburbs will be 10 times more likely to have fast-food outlets

'Whether this is a problem needs study which would see if there was obesity associated with schools having fast food nearby,' Dr Coffee said.

'That would not prove that there is a link between BMI and fast food near schools but it would suggest that there is something else worth researching.'

Among the fast-food chains classified in the study as being in poorer suburbs of Adelaide include McDonald's, Hungry Jacks, and KFC.

However, Dr Coffee believed that zoning laws could prevent more fast-food restaurants appearing in these areas.

Among the fast-food chains classified in the study as being in poorer suburbs of Adelaide include McDonald's, Hungry Jacks, and KFC

'Because of the way zoning occurs it is very hard to stop fast food being associated with schools,' he said.

'If you are serious about creating healthier environments around schools, then town planning needs to address what is allowed in retail zones nearby.'

The UniSA study will be published in an upcoming issue of the journal Public Health Nutrition.