A Study of Restaurateurs' Attitudes and Practices in Relation to Obesity

The dramatic increase in the rate of obesity in the United States is raising new public health concerns. Each year, obesity-related problems cause at least 300,000 deaths and cost around 100 billion dollars. Take a walk down the street, go to a shopping center or sport event, or pick up a newspaper or magazine and the severity of the obesity problem in the United States is becoming a critical problem to solve. About 65% of the U.S. adult population is overweight (35%) or obese (30%), which has doubled in only two decades. Obesity-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes, heart disease and stroke, arthritis, respiratory problems, cancer, and sleep apnea have become a major concern in our health care crisis. Poor diet and physical inactivity leading to excess body weight was identified as the second leading cause of death in the United States.

While Americans are consuming more food outside the home, it may seem easy to assume a relationship between the increases in the success of the restaurant industry and national obesity rates. The growth in food away from home has created concern about its possible effect on dietary quality. Because so much food is eaten outside the home, restaurants do have a significant impact on the food consumption of the United States and play a considerable role in the shaping of American diets.