New data released by the Centers for Disease Control shows that children born above the poverty line get roughly the same percentage of calories from fast food, as do children below the poverty line, The Bulletin reports.
The study dispels the popular view that fast food is the prime reason for the high rate of obesity among poorer Americans. Various reasons, such as the unavailability of healthy foods in lower income areas and the high costs of healthy foods, have given rise to the idea that poorer populations rely on fast food out of necessity and convenience.
The survey studied the food habits of more than 5000 people. The study showed that the poorest kids in America get the smallest share of their daily energy intake from fast food, such as Big Macs, Chicken McNuggets and french fries.
The study showed that the average percentage of calories from fast food for kids of ages between 2 and 11 years with working and middle class parents is 9.1 percent, while poor kids only get 8 percent of their calories from fast food.
Teenagers born to the poorest families rely on fast food the least.
The study shows that more than a third of all children and adolescents in the U.S eat some form of fast food every day and about a quarter of all kids in the United States get 25 percent of their calories from fast food.
