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CDC report shows decline in quick-service, pizza consumption

February 22, 2013

A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention concludes that Americans are eating less food from quick-service and pizza restaurants. According to the report, based on a survey conducted from 2007-2010, 11.3 percent of U.S. adults' daily calories came from QSR meals during that time.

This is a drop from 12.8 percent reported from a similar survey conducted from 2003 to 2006.

Bloomberg provided an overview of the results Thursday. The studies also appear in the Journal of the American Medical Association.

Researchers say the decline coincides with a leveling off of obesity levels, however they couldn't pinpoint why adults were eating less of these specific meals.

"More than one-third of U.S. adults are obese, and frequent fast-food consumption has been shown to contribute to weight gain," Cheryl Fryar, a health statistician at the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics, wrote the report.

From 2007 to 2010, the highest percentage of calories from QSR food was consumed by adults who were age 20 to 39 or non- Hispanic black or obese. Among young non-Hispanic black adults in that age group, more than one-fifth of their daily calories was from QSR menus.

The survey also shows that the percentage of daily calories from QSR food decreased with age, with adults age 60 and over consuming the least at 6 percent. The percentage rose as weight status increased, but did not differe significantly between men and women.

There were no major differences between non-Hispanic whites and Hispanic adults. However, among adults age 20-plus, consumption was higher among non-Hispanic black adults than non-Hispanic white and Hispanic adults.

Finally, the report concludes no difference observed by income status in the percentage of calories eat from a QSR. However, in the youngest age group — 20 to 39 — consumption dropped significantly with increasing income level.

Read more about consumer trends.