Summary Findings
American eating and drinking patterns
On an average day in 2008, Americans age 15 and older spent 67
minutes eating and drinking as a "primary," or main, activity, and
28 minutes eating and 81 minutes drinking (except plain water) as a
secondary activity--that is, eating while engaged in another
activity considered primary by the individual. Thirteen percent of
the population spent 4.5 hours or more a day on eating/drinking as
either a primary or secondary activity. About 14 percent of
Americans' secondary eating and drinking occurred while driving a
vehicle. Secondary eating or drinking was most frequently
accompanied by relaxing and leisure, which includes watching
television.
The year 2008 marks the first time since the American Time Use
Survey has collected data (2003-08) that the economy has been in
recession. Although time use patterns usually do not change much
from one year to the next, the recession appears to have affected
some behaviors. In 2008, Americans spent more time watching
television at home, and low-income persons spent more time grocery
shopping.
Time spent eating and drinking
On an average day in 2008, the total time that Americans spent
on eating and drinking--both as primary and secondary
activities--and on activities related to eating and drinking was
about 172 minutes (2.9 hours), adjusting for overlap of secondary
eating and secondary drinking. Because secondary eating and
drinking activities may overlap,
total time estimates are less than the sum of estimates for
individual activities. All comparisons presented here are
statistically significant.
Men and women spent about the same amount of time on primary and
secondary eating/drinking. Four percent of the American population
did not engage in any primary eating/drinking on an average day.
However, this group spent more time on secondary eating or drinking
than the total population-an average of 59 minutes on secondary
eating and 157 minutes (2.6 hours) on secondary drinking.
A change to the survey instrument for the Eating and Health
Module resulted in increases in time spent in secondary eating and
secondary drinking between the 2006 survey and the 2007 and 2008
surveys. As of October 2006, respondents could report "all day" for
secondary eating or drinking, excluding time spent in primary
eating and sleeping. (See User's Guide). Thus,
increases in secondary eating from 16 minutes in 2006 to 26 minutes
in 2007 and 28 minutes in 2008 and in secondary drinking from 42
minutes in 2006 to 66 minutes in 2007 and 81 minutes in 2008 result
not from behavioral changes but from changes in measurement. The
percentage of people engaged in any secondary eating or secondary
drinking remained fairly constant from 2006 to 2008.
In 2007 and 2008, 2 percent of those who engaged in secondary
eating reported eating "all day", whereas in 2006, less than 1
percent reported "all day" snacking, representing a small, but
expected increase with the survey change. However, 10 percent of
those who engaged in secondary drinking reported "all day" drinking
of beverages in 2007 and 15 percent in 2008, a marked increase from
about 1 percent in 2006.
The median amount of time spent in secondary eating was 15
minutes in 2007 and 2008, unchanged from 2006. For secondary
drinking, the median time spent increased from 35 minutes in 2006
to 45 minutes in 2007 and 60 minutes in 2008. The large increase in
time spent in secondary drinking after the survey instrument change
reflects measurement limitations rather than behavioral changes in
time spent in secondary drinking.
"Constant grazers" are defined here as those who spend at least
4.5 hours a day (about twice the 2006 average time) on primary or
secondary eating or drinking activities. This group makes up 13.0
percent of the population. Constant grazers spent the majority of
eating and drinking time on secondary drinking--an average of 10
hours. About 9 percent of constant grazers reported secondary
eating "all day" and 43 percent reported "all day" drinking of
beverages.
Individuals age 65 and older spent more time on primary eating
and drinking (an average of 82 minutes per day), and less time on
secondary eating and drinking than those age 25-64.
Over the course of a day, about 25 percent of the population was
engaged in some eating or drinking activity at some time between 7
a.m. and 10 a.m. Between 12 p.m. (noon) and 1 p.m., 45 percent of
Americans were eating and/or drinking. The share of Americans
engaged in eating or drinking activities during the evening peaked
at 42 percent between 6 p.m. and 7 p.m.
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Not surprisingly, people who live alone were more likely to eat
alone. Individuals in single-person households ate alone for
primary eating/drinking 73 percent of the time. For secondary
eating/drinking, 59 percent ate or drank alone, and an additional
21 percent ate or drank at work or while grooming (or other
personal activity). No information was collected on whether the
respondent was alone or with someone for time spent at work or
while engaged in a personal activity.
People in multi-person households ate with household members 56
percent of time for primary eating. However, only 37 percent of
secondary eating/drinking time was with household members, and a
total of 20 percent of the time was at work or while engaged in
personal activities, about the same as for persons who live
alone.
Estimating total time eating and drinking
There are three major considerations in estimating the total
time spent on eating and drinking. First, as the data are
collected, if a respondent reports both secondary eating and
secondary drinking during a primary activity, it is not known
whether secondary eating and secondary drinking occurs at the same
time. ERS developed a method of estimating total time spent on
secondary eating and drinking to account for this overlap. An
alternative approach is to use a range of total time. ERS also
recommends analyzing primary and secondary time use components
separately. Most secondary eating is done without secondary
drinking and vice versa; in only 18 percent of the cases were both
secondary eating and secondary drinking reported during the same
primary activity.
Second, when summing any primary activity and any secondary
activity, there is a concern that the intensity of the activities
may be different. Consequently, the sum may overstate the total
time spent on eating and drinking. Third, due to the constraints of
a 24-hour day, primary and secondary activities should not be
summed since this would result in a day longer than 24 hours. See
Documentation.
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)/Food Stamp
Program participants
A larger share of respondents in 2008 than in 2006-07 reported
that their household received food assistance. This is likely due
to the recession that began in December 2007. Among low-income
households, individuals in households participating in the
Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP, formerly the Food
Stamp Program) spent more time grocery shopping, preparing food,
and caring for children than individuals in low-income
nonparticipating households. The time engaged in housework was also
about the same for the two groups.
Respondents in SNAP-participating households were less likely to
report excellent or very good general health, and more likely to
report good, fair, or poor health. Indeed, 12 percent of
individuals in SNAP households reported poor general health,
whereas only 3 percent of the total population considered their
general health status as poor.
Meals obtained at school or day care
Respondents from households with children 18 years of age or
younger were asked if children in the household obtained meals
prepared at school, day care, or a summer program. In 2008, 54
percent of households with children reported that at least one
child obtained either breakfast, lunch or both meals from school,
day care or a summer program. In such households, adult respondents
spent more time in paid work, and less time in child care than did
respondents from other households with children. Interestingly,
they spent about the same amount of time in food preparation and
cleanup.
Grocery shopping and meal preparation
Based on self-reports, 48 percent of men were not the usual
person responsible for grocery shopping in the household and 53
percent said they were not usual person responsible for meal
preparation; over 70 percent of women said they were the usual
person responsible for both tasks. In addition, men were more
likely than women to respond that these tasks were split
equally.
Among the usual grocery shoppers in the household for all
persons age 18 and older, men spent an average of 6 minutes a day
grocery shopping, compared with 9 minutes for women. Looking only
at men who actually grocery shopped on a given day, the average
time was 41 minutes (noting that grocery shopping is not a daily
activity). All women averaged 9 minutes a day grocery shopping, and
among only those women who actually shopped, they spent an average
of 49 minutes.
Of those who split grocery shopping equally with other household
members, men still averaged 6 minutes a day on the task, and women,
9 minutes. Among only those who grocery shopped, men spent 47
minutes and women 50 minutes.
Among the usual meal preparers, men spent an average of 28
minutes a day preparing meals, and women, 54 minutes. Of those who
split meal preparation equally with other household members, men
spent an average of 25 minutes a day, and women, 38
minutes.
Body Mass Index
In 2008, time spent by Americans age 20 and older on eating and
drinking did not vary much by Body Mass Index (BMI)--underweight,
normal weight, overweight, and obese. Interestingly, normal-weight
people spent more time in primary eating and drinking as well as in
secondary eating than those in other weight groups. All groups
averaged about the same amount of time in secondary drinking. The
average times spent by Americans working for pay, sleeping,
watching television, and participating in sports and exercise
varied considerably by BMI levels. Individuals who are overweight
or obese spent more time watching television and less time
participating in sports and exercise than did those of normal
weight. The overweight group spent the most time engaged in paid
work activities and had a low average time spent sleeping. The
underweight group spent a greater amount of time sleeping than the
other groups.
Findings for previous years are available in the ERS Web
Archive: