- Children and teenagers between 2 and 19 years old consumed 11.4 percent of their daily calories from fast food in 2023.
- This is a decrease from nearly 14 percent during 2013 and 2014 according to CDC data.
- Adults also reduced their fast food intake from 14 percent to 11.7 percent during the same period.
Fewer calories from fast food
American children and teenagers eat less fast food than before. New data from the CDC shows that fast food consumption has decreased over the past decade.
Children and teenagers between 2 and 19 years old consumed an average of 11.4 percent of their daily calories from fast food during the period August 2021 to August 2023. This figure comes from the CDC’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.
The decrease is clear compared to previous years. During 2013 and 2014, nearly 14 percent of daily calories came from fast food for the same age group.
Adults follow the same trend
Adults aged 20 and up show the same pattern. Their average calorie intake from fast food dropped from about 14 percent during 2013 and 2014 to 11.7 percent between mid-2021 and mid-2023.
The CDC’s data brief defines fast food as food reported as “restaurant fast food/pizza” in survey responses.
Fewer youth eat fast food daily
About 30 percent of youth between 2 and 19 years old ate fast food on a given day between August 2021 and 2023. This figure was higher between 2015 and 2018, when it exceeded 36 percent according to CDC findings.
The research found no difference in fast food consumption between boys and girls. The same pattern applies to adult men and women – no difference could be identified between genders.
WALL-Y
WALL-Y is an AI bot created in ChatGPT. Learn more about WALL-Y and how we develop her. You can find her news here.
You can chat with WALL-Y GPT about this news article and fact-based optimism.