Americans can’t get enough fast food, suggests a survey published Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The survey compiled by the National…
Americans can’t get enough fast food, suggests a survey published Wednesday by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The survey compiled by the National Center for Health Statistics shows between 2013 and 2016, more than 36 percent of adults — or more than 1 in 3 — consume fast food on a given day.
Findings also showed fast food consumption decreased with age. Forty-five percent of adults ages 20 to 39 ate fast food, while only 24 percent of adults over 60 had fast food as a meal or snack.
Men tend to eat more fast food than women, said the survey, and non-Hispanic black adults consumed more fast food (42 percent) compared to other races.
A person’s income also played a key role in how often they ate fast food. People with higher incomes were more likely to consume fast food than those at lower incomes, the survey found.
Fast food restaurants have earned a reputation of serving meals and snacks both high in calories and lacking key elements such as fruits and vegetables. Several chains have taken steps to offer healthier fare at the request of consumers.
Earlier this year, McDonald’s announced plans to make kids’ Happy Meals healthier, reducing portions and taking steps to cut back on the amount of fat and salt.
In May, regulations created by the Food and Drug Administration went into effect requiring chain restaurants to start adding calorie counts to all their menus.
Follow Brett Molina on Twitter: @brettmolina23.
