Elsevier

Preventive Medicine

Volume 38, Issue 2, February 2004, Pages 243-249
Preventive Medicine

Eating out in America, 1987–2000: trends and nutritional correlates

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ypmed.2003.10.004Get rights and content

Abstract

Background. Despite widely held beliefs about increasing popularity of eating away-from-home and its possible contribution to increasing adiposity of the US population, there are little published data on this topic. To address this issue, we examined trends in frequency of consumption of commercially prepared (CP) meals reported by Americans aged ≥18 years, and its nutritional correlates.

Methods. The data were from the National Health Interview Survey (NHIS) 1987 (n = 21,731), NHIS 1992 (n = 11,718), and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2000 (n = 5,330). The information on CP meal consumption was obtained from questions included in the three surveys. The independent association of reported CP meal frequency with body mass index (BMI), and intakes of energy and macronutrients was examined using multiple linear regression methods.

Results. The mean reported number of CP meals per week was 2.5 in 1987 and 1992, and 2.8 in 1999–2000. In 1987, approximately 28% of the population reported 0 or <1 commercially prepared meal per week, decreasing to 24% in 1999–2000 (P for trend <0.0001). However, the proportion of the population reporting three or more weekly CP meals increased from 36% in 1987 to 41% in 1999–2000 (P for trend ≤0.0005). The odds of eating out at least one or more and three or more meals per week were 40% higher (95% CI 1.20–1.70) in 1999–2000 relative to 1987. The reported number of CP meals per week was positively associated with estimates of energy intake (P ≤ 0.0001) in each survey. Self-reported and measured BMI were modestly associated with the reported number of weekly CP meals in women in 1999–2000 (P ≤ 0.05).

Conclusion. Our results confirm that in 1999–2000, more Americans ate out, and ate out more frequently than in 1987 and 1992. Higher eating-out frequency was associated with adverse nutritional consequences.

Introduction

The decades since 1970 have seen the emergence of an obesity epidemic in the United States [1], [2], [3]. Multiple factors that result in positive energy balance are likely contributors to these trends. One of the popular hypotheses about increasing prevalence of adiposity in the US population is speculated to be increased energy intake due to increasing popularity of eating away from home. Indirect evidence suggests that this hypothesis has merits. First, driven by rising incomes, two-income households, and demand for convenience, this period has seen an unprecedented growth in the number of commercial food establishments, with an especially dramatic growth of the fast-food industry [4], [5]. Second, spending on away-from-home foods as a percentage of total food expenditure has been steadily rising by approximately 5–6% per decade over the past four decades and reached over 40% in 2000, a doubling from approximately 20% in 1960 [6]. Finally, USDA data suggest that the energy content of commercially prepared meals may be higher than that of meals prepared at home [7], [8]. Surprisingly, however, there is no published information on trends in frequency of eating away from home. Few studies have directly examined the hypothesis of the relation between frequency of eating out and body weight [9], [10], [11], [12], but none provide nationally representative estimates.

The purpose of this study was to examine: (1) trends in reported frequency of consuming commercially prepared (CP) meals from 1987 to 2000 using nationally representative data, and (2) the association of eating out with body mass index and nutrient intake.

Section snippets

Methods

We used data from the National Health Interview Surveys (NHIS) 1987 and 1992, and the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2000, conducted by the National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS).

Results

Table 1 shows the weekly frequency of number of CP meals reported in the three surveys. In 1987, approximately 28% of the population reported 0 or <1 CP meal per week, decreasing to 24% in 1999–2000. Approximately 42% of males and 30% of females reported consuming three or more weekly CP meals in 1987 and 1992. In 1999–2000, three or more weekly CP meals were reported by 48% of males and 35% of females. The odds of reporting at least one CP meal per week were higher in 1992 and 1999–2000

Discussion

In 1999–2000, adult Americans reported consuming an average of 2.77 commercially prepared meals per week, an 11% increase from the mean number of CP meals reported in 1987 and 1992. Although a slightly higher frequency of consuming CP meals in 1999–2000 relative to 1987 and 1992 is in the expected direction, we caution about undue emphasis on the absolute magnitude of this increase because the question used to elicit the information on CP meal consumption in 1999–2000 differed somewhat from the

Acknowledgements

We thank Lisa L. Kahle, IMS, Silver Spring, MD, for programming assistance.

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