Suprising statistics regarding fast food

A new national study of eating out and income shows that fast-food dining becomes more common as earnings increase from low to middle incomes, weakening the popular notion that fast food should be blamed for higher rates of obesity among the poor.

"There is a correlation between obesity and lower income, but it cannot be solely attributed to restaurant choice," said J. Paul Leigh, professor of public health sciences at UC Davis and senior author of the study, which is published online in Population Health Management. "Fast-food dining is most popular among the middle class, who are less likely to be obese."

They found that eating at full-service restaurants, which involve a range of food choices and sit-down service, followed an expected pattern: as income rose, visits increased. In contrast, eating at fast-food restaurants, characterized by minimal table service and food preparation time, followed a different pattern. Fast-food restaurant visits rose along with annual household income up to $60,000. As income increased beyond that level, fast-food visits decreased.

Additional correlations revealed in the study included:

• Men were more likely than women to go to both fast-food and full-service restaurants.
• People with more education were more likely to go to full-service restaurants.
• People who worked more hours were more likely to go to both fast-food and full-service restaurants.
• Smokers were more likely to go to fast-food rather than full-service restaurants.

The research was funded in part by the National Institute of Occupational Safety and Health.