Research Brief
Comparison of Fast-Food and Non-Fast-Food Children's Menu Items

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jneb.2008.02.005Get rights and content

Abstract

Objective

Compare the macronutrient content of children's meals sold by fast-food restaurants (FFR) and non-fast-food restaurants (NFF).

Design

All restaurants within the designated city limits were surveyed. Non-fast-food children's meals were purchased, weighed, and analyzed using nutrition software. All fast-food children's meals were recorded, with nutrient content information obtained from their respective commercial Web sites.

Setting

Community in southeastern United States.

Participants

33 restaurants, 10 FFR and 23 NFF.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

Total weight, total calories, fat, saturated fat, protein, carbohydrates, and fiber.

Analysis

Paired t tests, 1-way analysis of variance, and general linear model analyses.

Results

Overall mean percentage of calories from fat for children's meals at FFR was 37.5%, and 40.5% at NFF. Significant differences (P < .01) existed between FFR and NFF, with FFR providing smaller servings, fewer calories, and less total fat, saturated fat, protein, carbohydrates, and fiber. When analyzing only with the highest calorie option side, controlling for portion size, no differences remained except saturated fat.

Conclusions and Implications

Fast-food restaurants offered smaller children's portion sizes and lower-fat options. These results have implications for restaurants, parents, children, and nutrition educators.

Introduction

According to recent estimates by the United States (US) Department of Agriculture Economic Research Service, 43% of food dollars are spent on food away from home (based on 2002 data),1 with nearly 57% of Americans consuming meals and snacks outside of the home on a given day.2 This represents a major shift in purchasing and consumption patterns in the US from the past few decades, with a subsequent increase in the proportion of total calories obtained away from home.3

The increasing frequency of eating out clearly has numerous dietary and health consequences. Based on data collected from 1987 to 1995, food away from home was shown to generally have higher saturated fat density than food prepared and eaten at home.3 Food away from home also had lower-than-recommended benchmark levels for fiber and higher levels for sodium (based on the Recommended Dietary Allowances at the time of the study). Several studies have also documented associations between frequency of eating away from home, particularly at fast-food restaurants (FFR), and consumption of total calories, fat, saturated fat, fruit and vegetables, and milk among populations of different ages and ethnicities.3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8 There has also been evidence that consumption of fast food is associated with overweight status.7, 9, 10

Coupled with the increasing rate of overweight11, 12 and data illustrating that the food environment, including food choices, presentation, and portion size, can influence what and how much a person eats,13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 the trend in eating away from home highlights serious challenges to promoting and encouraging positive dietary habits and healthful weights.

To date, the majority of research on this topic has focused on trends and relationships between eating away from home and dietary patterns, without necessarily investigating the availability and nutrient content of menu items served at restaurants. Furthermore, little research has been conducted related to restaurant menus designed specifically for children. The aim of this study was to conduct an environmental scan of children's menu items at all restaurants within an entire community to assess the macronutrient composition of food items marketed directly to children and to compare and contrast the macronutrient content of children's meals offered by FFR versus non-fast-food restaurants (NFF).

Section snippets

Sample

The study was conducted in Blacksburg, VA, a community of 40 066 residents in the southeastern US. All restaurants within the designated town limits meeting eligibility requirements were surveyed, using a list of restaurants obtained from the local Department of Health office in November 2005. The following were excluded from the study: child care centers and schools; food establishments not open to or accessible by the general public (such as private clubs, camps, and dining halls); grocery

Discussion

The findings of this study provide insight into the availability and nutritional value of children's meals at all restaurants within an entire community, as well as differences between offerings at FFR and NFF.

One of the most striking findings was related to portion sizes. The average portion size was 277.3 g (9.78 oz), and the largest portion size was almost 30 oz. Clear differences also existed between FFR and NFF; FFR offered significantly smaller sizes for children. With studies

Implications for Research and Practice

With 70% of consumers reporting that “their favorite restaurant foods provide flavor and taste sensations that cannot easily be duplicated in their home kitchen,”26 it is evident that nutrition educators need to work with, not against, restaurants. Restaurants are also the nation's second largest employer outside of government, employing an estimated 12.5 million people, representing a large number of individuals who have direct contact with and access to food items offered at their respective

Acknowledgment

Partial funding was provided by the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, & Exercise, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, VA.

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    Partial funding was provided by the Department of Human Nutrition, Foods, & Exercise, Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University, Blacksburg, VA.

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