Use of calorie information at fast-food and chain restaurants among US adults, 2009
Related Experiment Video
Updated: May 5, 2026

'Boden Food Plate': Novel Interactive Web-based Method for the Assessment of Dietary Intake
Published on: September 18, 2018
Holly Wethington1, Leah M Maynard1, Christine Haltiwanger2
1U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention/National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion/Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity, Obesity/Obesity Prevention and Control Branch, Atlanta, GA 30341, USA.
Background:
The aim of this study was to examine reading and use of calorie information at fast-food/chain restaurants.
Methods:
A cross-sectional analysis was conducted on a sample of 4363 US adults using the 2009 HealthStyles survey. The outcome variable was reading calorie information when available while ordering at fast-food/chain restaurants. Among those who go to fast-food/chain restaurants, we conducted multivariable logistic regression to examine associations between sociodemographic variables and reading calorie information when available. Among those who report reading calorie information when available, we assessed the proportion using calorie information.
Results:
Among those who reported eating at fast-food/chain restaurants, 36.4% reported reading calorie information when available. Reading calorie information was not related to race/ethnicity, income or education. Compared with men, women had higher odds [adjusted odds ratio (OR) = 1.8; 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.5-2.1] of reading calorie information when available while those who frequented fast-food/chain restaurants ≥3 times/week (aOR = 0.6; 95% CI = 0.4-0.8) had lower odds compared with those going <4 times/month. Of those who reported reading calorie information when available, 95.4% reported using calorie information at least sometimes.
Conclusions:
Almost all who read calorie information when available use the information at least sometimes. Research is needed on how calorie information is being used.
Related Concept Videos
Energy Balance
Obesity
Regulation of Food Intake
Overview of Fatty Acid Metabolism
Fatty acids are catabolized in a process called beta-oxidation, which takes place in the matrix of the mitochondria and converts their fatty acid chains into two-carbon units of acetyl groups. The acetyl...
Metabolic States of the Body: Fasting and Starvation
Dietary Connections

