Younger Americans Drive Decline in Fast Food Consumption, New Data Shows
Recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS) reveals a softening in the hold fast food has on American diets, especially among younger adults. A study examining consumption patterns from August 2021 to August 2023 found that approximately 32% of U.S. adults aged 20 and older consumed fast food on any given day. While still a important portion of the population, this reflects a decrease from previous years.
On average, fast food contributed 11.7% of daily caloric intake for adults during the study period. This is down from 14.1% in 2013-2014 and nearing the 11.3% reported in 2007-2010. The decline is largely attributed to changes in eating habits among those aged 20-39, whose caloric intake from fast food decreased from 19.0% to 15.2% during the same timeframe. No significant changes were observed in fast food consumption among older adults.
The NCHS Data Brief, authored by N.N. Shah, C.D. Fryar, N. Ahluwalia, and L.J. Akinbami,details these trends and further breaks down consumption by demographic factors. While no significant differences were found between men and women, patterns emerged related to age, education, and weight status.
Adults aged 40-59 consumed 11.9% of their daily calories from fast food, while those 60 and older consumed the least, at 7.6%. Interestingly, individuals with some college education reported a higher percentage of calories from fast food (13.4%) compared to both high school graduates (11.2%) and those with a bachelor’s degree or higher (10.8%). This difference, however, was not present in the 40-59 age group.
Weight status also correlated with fast food intake. Adults with obesity consumed the highest share of calories from fast food (13.7%), followed by overweight adults (10.8%) and those with normal weight (9.8%). Within the 20-39 age bracket, overweight adults consumed considerably less fast food than their obese counterparts.
Researchers utilized sample weights to account for potential biases in the data,and employed the Taylor series linearization method for variance estimation. Dietary interviews, initially paused during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, were resumed in 2021, utilizing phone interviews rather of in-person assessments.
The study concludes that while fast food remains a dietary concern due to its association with higher intakes of calories, fat, sodium, and sugar, and lower intakes of essential nutrients like fiber, calcium, and whole grains, consumption is trending downward, driven primarily by a shift in habits among younger Americans.
