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About 36% of all US adults ate fast food on a given day from 2013 to 2016, according to data recently released by the CDC.
"We focused on fast food for this report, as fast food has played an important role in the American diet over the last few decades. Fast food has been associated with poor nutrition and increased risk of obesity, Cheryl Fryar, MSPH, a health statistician with the National Center for Health Statistics said Healio family medicine.
Fryar and his colleagues analyzed data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2013 to 2016 and found that, regardless of the day, among adults, fast food was consumed by:
- 36.6% of all adults;
- 42.4% of non-Hispanic blacks, 37.6% of non-Hispanic whites, 35.5% of Hispanics and 30.6% of non-Hispanic Asians;
- 44.9% of those aged 20 to 39, 37.7% of those aged 40 to 59 and 24.1% of those aged 60 and over; and
- 31.7% of those considered low income, 36.4% of middle income and 42% of those with higher incomes.
"The results of this study were similar to those we found among youth from 2011 to 2012, where 34% of youth consumed fast food," said Fryar.
About 36% of all US adults ate fast food on a given day from 2013 to 2016, according to data recently released by the CDC.
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The CDC's report on adult eating habits follows other studies associating fast food consumption with asthma and eczema, late pregnancy, with increased risk of infertility and at a risk of type 2 diabetes.
How to help patients eat healthier
A recent article in Management of family practice – a peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Family Physicians – explaining how to help patients change their unhealthy behaviors.
Stephanie A. Hooker, PhD, MPH, a postdoctoral fellow in clinical psychology from the Department of Family Medicine and Community Health at the University of Minnesota Minneapolis and his colleagues suggested tools that family doctors can recommend to help their patients eat healthier foods:
- Small changes: "Ask patients to choose small achievable goals to change their diet, such as … reducing the frequency of desserts or soft drinks or increasing daily consumption of fruits and vegetables."
- Plate Method: "Encourage patients to design their plates to include 50% fruit and vegetables, 25% lean protein and 25% grains or starches."
A recent article in Management of family practice – a peer-reviewed journal of the American Academy of Family Physicians – explaining how to help patients change their unhealthy behaviors.
Photo source: Adobe
The article also suggested that the goals of improving dietary habits (or any unhealthy behavior) used the SMART method, in that they were specific, measurable, achievable, relevant, and timely. – by Janel Miller
References:
Fryar CD, et al. Data Summary from the National Center for Health Statistics, No. 322, October 2018. "Adult Fast Food Consumption in the United States, 2013-2016".
Hooker SA et al. Fam Convenient Manage. 2018 March / April; 25 (2): 31-36. "Encouraging Behavioral Change in Health: Eight Evidence-Based Strategies."
Disclosures:
Healio family medicine has not been able to determine the relevant financial information of the authors prior to publication
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