Friday, May 07, 2004
The Girth of A Nation
Nearly One-Third of American Children Eat Fast Food Daily; U.S. Leads World in Overweight and Obese Teens
According to the National Restaurant Association, the number of "quick service" (fast-food) restaurants in the United States more than doubled between 1972 and 1995. There are now an estimated 228,000 fast-food restaurants in this country; collectively, they generated approximately $131 billion in sales in 2002 - a figure higher than the gross domestic product of several other industrialized nations, including New Zealand, Israel and Ireland.
As the number of fast-food restaurants has increased, so has the number of overweight and obese children. The first dramatic jump in childhood obesity rates occurred from 1976 to 1980, when approximately 12 percent of all American children between the ages of 6 and 19 were diagnosed as overweight or obese. These numbers have continued to rise at an alarming rate. The American Obesity Association now estimates that nearly 31 percent of all U.S. children and teens ages 6 to 19 (approximately 18 million children) are either overweight or obese. The situation has become so serious that at least one organization has labeled obesity, and the health conditions it contributes to, the "black plague" of the 21st century.
The results of two new studies provide more proof that eating fast food is directly linked to overweight and obesity. The studies show that significantly more American teenagers are overweight or obese compared to teenagers in Europe and Israel - perhaps because nearly one-third of all American children eat fast food in an average day.
"The associations between fast food and diet seem to be causally related"
In the first study, published in the Jan. 1 issue of Pediatrics, 6,212 children between the ages of 4 and 19, from all socioeconomic levels and regions of the United States, were interviewed and asked to describe the type and amount of food they consumed on two nonconsecutive days in a 4- to 11-day period. (A child was considered to have eaten fast food if the food was obtained at a fast-food restaurant or "pizza place.") Children ages 12 and older provided their own information on food intake; children ages 6 to 11 described their food intake and were assisted by an adult household member (i.e., a "proxy") responsible for preparing the child's meals; and proxy interviews were conducted for children younger than age 6. Data were used to calculate caloric and nutrient intake.
The researchers discovered that on any given day, an average of 30.3 percent of all children ate fast food. Although fast-food consumption was more likely to occur in the South than any other region of the U.S., and in males more than females, consumption of fast food was nevertheless pandemic: children of both genders, all age groups, all household income levels, all racial/ethnic groups, all degrees of urbanization, and all regions of the country ate fast food to some degree.
Increased consumption of fast food was associated with two specific factors - age and household income. Nearly one-fourth (24.6 percent) of children ages 4-8 ate fast food on a given day. In the 14- to 19-year-old age group, however, an alarming 39 percent of children ate fast food. Similarly, only 24.9 percent of children in low-income households consumed fast food, compared to 35.1 percent of children living in high-income households.
For children who ate fast food in a given day, between 29 percent and 38 percent of that day's total caloric energy was obtained from fast food, and the number of fast-food-derived calories increased with age. Comparing fast-food consumers to nonconsumers, caloric intake was 3.6 percent higher in children ages 4 to 8, 6.4 percent higher in children ages 9 to 13, and a whopping 16.8 percent higher in 14- to 19-year-olds. Children who consumed fast food also ate "more total fat, more saturated fat, more total carbohydrates, more added sugars, more sugar-sweetened beverages, less fluid milk, and fewer fruits and non-starchy vegetables" compared to non consumers. These differences were deemed "statistically significant" across virtually all age categories.
Based on the information provided in the interviews, the researchers estimated that children who ate fast food consumed an average of 187 calories per day more than children who did not. At that rate, the extra calories "theoretically could account for an additional 6 pounds of weight gain per child per year" if a child maintained the same activity level.
Several explanations were offered for why fast food intake is linked to an increased risk for obesity, including:
The basic composition of fast food. The typical fast-food meal (such as a cheeseburger, French fries and a soda) contains high levels of fat, salt, refined starch, carbohydrates and added sugars, and low amounts of dietary fiber and other nutrients. Repeated consumption of fast food could "displace" more healthy types of food, such as fruits and nonstarchy vegetables, from the diet. In addition, the researchers noted that fast food is being served in "increasingly large" portion sizes, which has been linked to increased caloric intake.
Societal factors. According to the authors, "In a hectic society, busy family routines foster a need for quick and convenient meals." Nevertheless, these routines and societal stresses could "preclude preparation of healthful dinners at home," and lead children to look outside the home for the majority of their meals.
Financial wherewithal. "Despite the ubiquity of fast food, children of higher socioeconomic status may have more discretionary money and consequently greater access to fast food," the authors noted. "This fact may account for the independent relationship of higher income to greater consumption of fast food in our study."
Marketing. The scientists suggested that "pervasive advertising" and "repetitious messages" could cause children to consume more fast food. "The industry markets heavily to children with the goal of fostering a fast-food habit that will persist into adulthood," they wrote.
The authors held back little of their apparent disdain for fast food and its negative effects on children in their conclusion:
"On a typical day that fast food is eaten, children consume substantially more total energy and have worse dietary quality compared with a typical day without fast food. The associations between fast food and diet seem to be causally related, as demonstrated with ... comparisons potentially free from confounding by demographic and socioeconomic influences. In light of these findings and other recent studies, measures to limit marketing of fast food to children may be warranted."
"We're still in first place in a race that unfortunately we shouldn't want to be winning."
>>snip<<
Despite recent claims, it's clear that obesity is a problem that can't be solved with a pill or injection. The list of conditions linked to obesity is nearly infinite; diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancers of the stomach and colon, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, depression and osteoporosis are just some of the more common disorders that can arise from being chronically overweight or obese. If not addressed soon, the problems caused by obesity will - like America's waistline - simply keep getting bigger and bigger.
Link
Nearly One-Third of American Children Eat Fast Food Daily; U.S. Leads World in Overweight and Obese Teens
According to the National Restaurant Association, the number of "quick service" (fast-food) restaurants in the United States more than doubled between 1972 and 1995. There are now an estimated 228,000 fast-food restaurants in this country; collectively, they generated approximately $131 billion in sales in 2002 - a figure higher than the gross domestic product of several other industrialized nations, including New Zealand, Israel and Ireland.
As the number of fast-food restaurants has increased, so has the number of overweight and obese children. The first dramatic jump in childhood obesity rates occurred from 1976 to 1980, when approximately 12 percent of all American children between the ages of 6 and 19 were diagnosed as overweight or obese. These numbers have continued to rise at an alarming rate. The American Obesity Association now estimates that nearly 31 percent of all U.S. children and teens ages 6 to 19 (approximately 18 million children) are either overweight or obese. The situation has become so serious that at least one organization has labeled obesity, and the health conditions it contributes to, the "black plague" of the 21st century.
The results of two new studies provide more proof that eating fast food is directly linked to overweight and obesity. The studies show that significantly more American teenagers are overweight or obese compared to teenagers in Europe and Israel - perhaps because nearly one-third of all American children eat fast food in an average day.
"The associations between fast food and diet seem to be causally related"
In the first study, published in the Jan. 1 issue of Pediatrics, 6,212 children between the ages of 4 and 19, from all socioeconomic levels and regions of the United States, were interviewed and asked to describe the type and amount of food they consumed on two nonconsecutive days in a 4- to 11-day period. (A child was considered to have eaten fast food if the food was obtained at a fast-food restaurant or "pizza place.") Children ages 12 and older provided their own information on food intake; children ages 6 to 11 described their food intake and were assisted by an adult household member (i.e., a "proxy") responsible for preparing the child's meals; and proxy interviews were conducted for children younger than age 6. Data were used to calculate caloric and nutrient intake.
The researchers discovered that on any given day, an average of 30.3 percent of all children ate fast food. Although fast-food consumption was more likely to occur in the South than any other region of the U.S., and in males more than females, consumption of fast food was nevertheless pandemic: children of both genders, all age groups, all household income levels, all racial/ethnic groups, all degrees of urbanization, and all regions of the country ate fast food to some degree.
Increased consumption of fast food was associated with two specific factors - age and household income. Nearly one-fourth (24.6 percent) of children ages 4-8 ate fast food on a given day. In the 14- to 19-year-old age group, however, an alarming 39 percent of children ate fast food. Similarly, only 24.9 percent of children in low-income households consumed fast food, compared to 35.1 percent of children living in high-income households.
For children who ate fast food in a given day, between 29 percent and 38 percent of that day's total caloric energy was obtained from fast food, and the number of fast-food-derived calories increased with age. Comparing fast-food consumers to nonconsumers, caloric intake was 3.6 percent higher in children ages 4 to 8, 6.4 percent higher in children ages 9 to 13, and a whopping 16.8 percent higher in 14- to 19-year-olds. Children who consumed fast food also ate "more total fat, more saturated fat, more total carbohydrates, more added sugars, more sugar-sweetened beverages, less fluid milk, and fewer fruits and non-starchy vegetables" compared to non consumers. These differences were deemed "statistically significant" across virtually all age categories.
Based on the information provided in the interviews, the researchers estimated that children who ate fast food consumed an average of 187 calories per day more than children who did not. At that rate, the extra calories "theoretically could account for an additional 6 pounds of weight gain per child per year" if a child maintained the same activity level.
Several explanations were offered for why fast food intake is linked to an increased risk for obesity, including:
The basic composition of fast food. The typical fast-food meal (such as a cheeseburger, French fries and a soda) contains high levels of fat, salt, refined starch, carbohydrates and added sugars, and low amounts of dietary fiber and other nutrients. Repeated consumption of fast food could "displace" more healthy types of food, such as fruits and nonstarchy vegetables, from the diet. In addition, the researchers noted that fast food is being served in "increasingly large" portion sizes, which has been linked to increased caloric intake.
Societal factors. According to the authors, "In a hectic society, busy family routines foster a need for quick and convenient meals." Nevertheless, these routines and societal stresses could "preclude preparation of healthful dinners at home," and lead children to look outside the home for the majority of their meals.
Financial wherewithal. "Despite the ubiquity of fast food, children of higher socioeconomic status may have more discretionary money and consequently greater access to fast food," the authors noted. "This fact may account for the independent relationship of higher income to greater consumption of fast food in our study."
Marketing. The scientists suggested that "pervasive advertising" and "repetitious messages" could cause children to consume more fast food. "The industry markets heavily to children with the goal of fostering a fast-food habit that will persist into adulthood," they wrote.
The authors held back little of their apparent disdain for fast food and its negative effects on children in their conclusion:
"On a typical day that fast food is eaten, children consume substantially more total energy and have worse dietary quality compared with a typical day without fast food. The associations between fast food and diet seem to be causally related, as demonstrated with ... comparisons potentially free from confounding by demographic and socioeconomic influences. In light of these findings and other recent studies, measures to limit marketing of fast food to children may be warranted."
"We're still in first place in a race that unfortunately we shouldn't want to be winning."
>>snip<<
Despite recent claims, it's clear that obesity is a problem that can't be solved with a pill or injection. The list of conditions linked to obesity is nearly infinite; diabetes, cardiovascular disease, stroke, cancers of the stomach and colon, high blood pressure, high blood cholesterol, depression and osteoporosis are just some of the more common disorders that can arise from being chronically overweight or obese. If not addressed soon, the problems caused by obesity will - like America's waistline - simply keep getting bigger and bigger.
Link
// posted by Linda Weissinger Lupowitz @ 7:24 AM 
