Fast Food Still A Major Part Of The American Diet

Fast food is cheap and because of that reason many have long believed that it's a favorite food choice only with those from a lower economic class. But a new study from Ohio State University says that isn't the case, and that people from all different economic backgrounds are united by their love of fast food.

According to the results, when it comes to all different economic backgrounds, it is mostly those who are in the middle-income bracket who are most likely to opt for eating fast food. But when it comes to the rich, they were seen to have almost the same rate of consumption as the middle class.

For their study the researchers also used data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth and they involved 8,000 participants who were required to answer questions regarding their personal income and wealth, along with giving information about their eating habits.

The results from the survey about their food habits was then compared to the answers that had been given about their income information. Researchers say that they saw some slight differences but overall the results were very similar.

When it comes to the richest participants of the bunch and their responses in regards to their eating habits over the past week, it was found that roughly 75 percent of them reported that they opted for fast-food meal at least once.

For the 3 week study, the number of fast food meals eaten:

• Lowest 10% was 3.6 meals / 3 weeks
• Middle-income was 4.2 meals / 3 weeks
• Richest 10% was 3 meals / 3 weeks

It was also found that for any of the participants who during the study saw their wealth dramatically change, by either increasing or decreasing, it was seen that their eating habits didn't change. No matter what happened to the income, despite wealth changes, it didn't impact how much fast food a person decided to eat.

They found that one of the biggest factors that contributed to opting for fast food was lack of time.

For the folks who were more frequently going to the fast food restaurant in order to get their meals, it was seen that they had less leisure time than others. This lack of leisure time was frequently due to folks being more likely to work more hours than those who did not choose to eat fast food.

They also say that they found people who actually like to eat every single meal of theirs at fast food restaurants. This means that there were some respondents who said that they ate at least three meals a day at a fast food location.

One major limitation of the study, researchers note, is that they didn't specifically ask what the participants were eating when they went to the restaurant. This is important because while some will be opting for burgers and fries, others might have just went for coffee or a salad.

Fast food today is still a major part of the U.S. diet, and this study shows that it isn't just poor people who are opting to go to fast food restaurants for a bite.

When it comes to those in the U.S., it's estimated that at least 8 out of 10 people report that they've eaten at a fast food restaurant at least once a month. And it's estimated that at least 1 in 3 American children opt for eating fast food every single day.

Pics:
Pixabay
Giphy
Business Insider
Giphy
Pinterest
Sources:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2017/05/170504083222.htm
http://www.universityherald.com/articles/74746/20170505/study-reveals-americans-united-love-fast-food-regardless-economic-classes.htm
http://www.gallup.com/poll/163868/fast-food-major-part-diet.aspx
https://www.rt.com/usa/315664-usa-children-eat-fast-food/