Americans are eating more junk food, exercising less and getting fatter, according to a survey that annually charts the nation's health habits.
A survey by Louis Harris and Associates released Thursday shows the nation retreating from the healthier habits of the 1980s and dropping back into a pattern of poor nutrition, said Humphrey Taylor, president of the polling firm.Taylor said people are eating more of the bad things, such as excessive fat and salt, and fewer of the healthy things, such as vegetables and foods rich in fiber.
The poll, taken annually since 1983, plotted a steady increase in good nutrition habits through most of the 1980s, he said. Now the trend is turning around.
Among those surveyed for the 1992 poll, 53 percent said they ate the recommended amounts of fibrous foods and vegetables, compared with 59 percent in 1983. Fat was avoided by 51 percent, compared with 55 percent in 1983, and excess salt was avoided by 46 percent, compared with 53 percent in 1983.
Economic records support the survey findings, Taylor said. Sales of low-fat and low-calorie products have slumped, while sales have increased for foods high in fat and salt content, he said.
Also, Taylor said there was a slight drop in the number of people getting regular exercise.
All of this, he said, is leading to an overweight America.
The survey found 66 percent of those questioned were overweight, compared with 58 percent in 1983. Only 17 percent were within the recommended weight range, compared with 23 percent of 1983, and 17 percent were underweight, compared with 18 percent a decade earlier.
"Americans continue to get fatter," said Taylor. "We are the fattest nation on Earth."
The downward trend of good health habits, said Taylor, shows that "quite likely the healthy lifestyles of the past decade were just a passing fad, like hula hoops."
"For the doctors in the country, this report is terribly disturbing," said Dr. James S. Todd, executive vice president of the American Medical Association. "It means Americans are not willing to accept responsibility for their own well-being. We're finding increasing numbers of Americans are not following good health habits."
There was good news in the survey. American health behaviors improved in areas enforced by laws, said Taylor. Fewer people admit to drinking and driving and more say they are using seat belts and have installed home smoke detectors.
Since the survey was first taken, car seat belt use has increased by 51 percentage points, from 19 percent in 1983 to 70 percent last year. Use of home smoke detectors has increased from 67 percent in 1983 to 90 percent last year, the survey found. People who never drink and drive has increased from 68 percent to 83 percent, according to the survey.