Fast food consumption and caloric intake are on the decline among U.S. children, reported Colin D. Rehm, Ph.D., and Adam Drewnowski, Ph.D., of the department of epidemiology at the University of Washington, Seattle.
Analysis of data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey showed that the percentage of children consuming fast food on a given day decreased from 39% in 2003-2004 to 33% in 2009-2010 (P = .008), the investigators said.
Additionally, calorie intake from burger, pizza, and chicken fast food restaurants decreased significantly. Energy intake from other types of fast food restaurants, such as sandwich and Mexican restaurants, stayed the same (P > .15), they reported.
The findings should “allow researchers to focus on children and other populations and can also be extended to monitor consumption for other dietary constituents of concern, including sodium, added sugars, and solid fats,” Dr. Rehm and Dr. Drewnowski wrote (JAMA Pediatrics 2015 [doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2015.38]).
Read the full article in JAMA Pediatrics here.
