Fast food

A new CDC study, published online this week in the Journal of Public Health, found in a population-based survey of Americans that almost all U.S. adults who read calorie information when it is available at fast-food and chain restaurants actually used the information. Researchers found that 95.4% of those who read calorie information used it at least sometimes when making their food choices.

Researchers examined sociodemographic variables in a sample of 4,363 adults using the 2009 HealthStyles survey.  However, among the 3,512 who reported eating at fast-food and chain restaurants, only 36.4% reported reading calorie information when available. Reading calorie information however was not related to race, income or education.

The study also found the following:

  • Women were nearly twice as likely to read calorie information when available compared to men.
  • Adults who ate at fast food or chain restaurants 3 or more times per week were less likely to read calorie information than those going less than 4 times per month.

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