Recent CDC Report Says Rich People Eat More Fast Food

A recent report from the Center of Disease Control and Prevention found that the more money people make, the more fast food they consume, reports Fox Business. The report was based on a National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) conducted from 2013 through 2016 and found that 42 percent more fast food was eaten by higher income Americans than by lower income Americans.

Apparently the survey also found that 36 percent of Americans are eating some form of fast food. What is the most popular time to grab fast food according to the NHANES survey? Lunchtime seems to be the most common time to grab up a quick meal. Jon Taffer, host of Bar Rescue, further discussed the findings.

“People that make about $32,000 a year eat fast food at a rate 32 percent higher than normal on a daily basis. But yet people who make about $113,000 a year are 10 percent higher. It’s the simple formula that people who make more money often work longer hours, are in more of a hurry, get shorter lunch breaks, eat on the go. It’s cheaper [and] easier to get.”

As Vox cites, there tends to be a frequent stereotype that poor people eat more fast food than rich people, who “virtuously” eat only organic foods. The recent report from the CDC refutes this assumption, informing the public that in fact, it’s quite the opposite. There was also a briefing on the matter, during which data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination survey was combined with interviews and physical examinations to assess the state of American health. Of the roughly 10,000 adults surveyed, just over a third eat some kind of fast food — meaning something they classified as “restaurant fast food/pizza” — on any given day. The New York Times also weighed in on the survey.

“But 42 percent of people above 350 percent of the poverty line — $87,850 a year or more for that size family — were daily consumers.”

A staff dietitian at the Ohio State University Medical Center, Liz Weinandy, remarked on the fact that the high rate among 20- to 39-year-olds was particularly troubling. Weinandy was not directly involved in the survey. However, she did give further insight into concerning health issues such as heart disease and dementia.

“[That period] sets the stage for health issues later in life — heart disease, dementia and so on. Also, this is the group that’s having kids, and they’re setting them up for a lifetime of unhealthy eating habits.”