40% Of Youth Use Calorie Info At Fast-Food Restaurants

 OXFORD, EnglandAbout 40% of youth use calorie information in fast-food restaurants, with girls and obese youth most likely to consider their caloric intake, according to a study published in the Journal of Public Health. Researchers also found young people eating out two or more times per week were half as likely to use calorie information compared to those who eat out once a week or less.

Because childhood obesity has tripled in recent decades, researchers are now studying potential contributing factors to this issue. Fast-food, usually high in calories, salt and fat, may be part of the problem.

A U.S. federal law requires restaurants with at least 20 locations nationally to list calorie information next to menu items. Another law would require restaurants to place prominent information about suggested daily calorific intake on menus, but it has yet to be been implemented.

Holly Wethington and colleagues at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Obesity, studied a sample of 721 American youth (ages 9 to 18 years) through mail surveys. Respondents were asked, "When calorie information is available at a fast food/chain restaurant, how often does this information help you decide what to order?" They were also asked for their age, gender, height, weight, and how often they ate in fast-food/chain restaurants.

The sample had a higher proportion of boys (56.4%) and a higher proportion of respondentswho were  12 to 14 years old (32.2%). Most youth had a healthy weight as assessed by BMI (65.8%), while 13.3% were classified as obese. Of those who reported eating at fast food/chain restaurants, 65.6% reported going once a week or less, while 34.4% said they went two or more times per week. When asked about using calorie information when it was available, 42.4% of youth reported using it, while 57.6% reported never using it.

The study found that girls were 80% more likely to report using calorie information than boys, and obese youth were about 70% more likely to report using calorie information than those at a healthy weight. Youth who ate at fast food/chain restaurants twice a week or more were 50% less likely to report using calorie information than those eating there once a week or less.

Wethington said the number of youth who reported using calorie information is "encouraging."

"This may have potential to lead to improved food and beverage choices as a way to manage weight ... " she added. "Public health practitioners, school nutrition services, retailers, and other interested groups can consider implementing complementary education programs to improve youth's understanding of calorie information to hopefully make calorie labeling part of a successful weight management strategy."