Summary Findings
American eating patterns: 2016
Examining the eating patterns of the U.S. population is a key factor in better understanding the determinants of the dietary intake and health status of Americans. An analysis of the time that Americans spend in various activities—and, in particular, food-related activity—may provide some insight into why nutrition and health outcomes vary across different segments of the population. Such insights could help improve programs and policies targeted at reducing obesity and improving diet quality.
ERS collected data on Americans’ time use and eating patterns in the ERS-developed Eating and Health Module (EH Module) of the nationally representative American Time Use Survey (ATUS). Data were collected on soft drink consumption, Body Mass Index (BMI), physical activity, USDA food assistance program participation, grocery shopping, meal preparation, meat thermometer usage, and raw milk consumption in 2016. Selected findings from the 2016 EH Module are summarized below.
On an average day in 2016, Americans age 15 and older spent 63.6 minutes eating and drinking as a primary or main activity, and 17.2 minutes eating as a secondary activity—that is, while engaged in another activity such as watching television, driving, preparing meals, or working. On an average day, men spent more time engaged in primary eating and drinking (64.4 minutes) than women (62.9 minutes); however, women spent more time engaged in secondary eating (17.5 minutes) than men (16.8 minutes).
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Americans have 2 peak time blocks for primary eating and drinking—noon to 12:59 pm and 6:00 to 6:59 pm. About 3 in 10 Americans engaged in primary eating and drinking during each of these peak time blocks. From 9 am to 8 pm, 5 percent or more of Americans engaged in secondary eating each hour.
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About 64 percent of Americans reported drinking beverages other than plain water while engaged in other activities in the previous day; of those, 38 percent reported that at least one of those beverages was a soft drink such as cola, root beer, or ginger ale. On average, those who consumed soft drinks while multi-tasking had a higher average body mass index (BMI) and were more likely to report being in fair or poor health than those who did not consume soft drinks.
Over two-thirds of Americans age 18 and older reported that they were their household's usual grocery shopper or that they split this task equally with other household members. Among these individuals, the top 2 places where they obtained the majority of their groceries were grocery stores (68 percent) and supercenters such as Walmart or Target (24 percent). The top 3 primary reasons for shopping at these places are as follows:
- Grocery stores: location (44 percent), price (24 percent), and quality of products (17 percent).
- Supercenters: price (43 percent), location (31 percent), and variety of products (16 percent).
Over two-thirds of Americans age 18 and older reported that they were their household’s usual meal preparer or that they split this task equally with other household members. Among these individuals:
- About 89 percent had prepared meals with meat, poultry, or seafood in the previous week; of those, 14 percent used a food or meat thermometer when preparing at least one of those meals for household consumption. Individuals who prepared meals with meat, poultry, or seafood spent an average of 59 minutes in meal preparation and cleanup, whereas those who had not spent less time—an average of 49 minutes.
- About 2.6 percent drank or served unpasteurized or raw milk in the previous week. The proportion of men who used raw milk (3.3 percent) was higher than the corresponding proportion of women (2.2 percent).
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On an average day, participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), participants in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC), and low-income individuals (those with household income less than 185 percent of the poverty threshold) all spent more time preparing food and cleaning up (about 53 minutes) than others with higher household incomes or not participating in SNAP or WIC (about 35 minutes).
Low-income individuals were less likely to grocery shop on an average day than others—13.2 percent shopped for groceries on an average day in 2016, which is equivalent to grocery shopping every 7.6 days; whereas 14.1 percent of higher-income individuals grocery shopped on an average day, equivalent to shopping every 7.1 days. Those who were food insufficient reported the lowest grocery shopping rate, 12.7 percent on an average day, equivalent to grocery shopping every 7.9 days.
Obese adults age 20 and older spent an average of 3.1 hours a day watching television and movies, whereas those of normal weight spent an average of 2.5 hours a day doing so. About 70 percent of normal-weight adults reported exercising in the previous week, whereas 53 percent of obese adults exercised in the previous week.
For more information about using the data, see:
2014-16 Eating & Health Module User's Guide (2016 Edition)Findings for the 2014-16 EH Modules are available in pdf format:
Findings for the 2006-08 EH Modules are available in pdf format: