Eating and Health Module (ATUS)

Eating and Health Module Current Findings History of USDA Time Use Studies Documentation

Overview

Individual decisions about how to use the 24 hours in a day have short- and long-term implications for income and earnings, health, and other aspects of well-being. Understanding time use patterns can provide insight into economic behaviors associated with eating patterns as well as the diet and health status of individuals. Knowing more about eating patterns, grocery shopping, and meal preparation, as well as understanding whether participants in food and nutrition assistance programs face different time constraints than nonparticipants can inform the design of food assistance and nutrition policies and programs.

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Data

The Eating and Health Module (EH Module) of the American Time Use Survey (ATUS) includes statistics on time spent in eating and drinking activities, grocery shopping, and meal preparation for the population age 15 and older and for participants in the Food Stamp Program. Data are also presented on measures of the health status (such as Body Mass Index, or BMI) of the population by time spent in various activities. See User's Guide and Documentation.

Related Resources

• Bureau of Labor Statistics American Time Use Survey—Provides access to the ATUS data, survey methodology, and estimates of Americans' time spent on various activities.



• NIH-National Cancer Institute, Division of Cancer Control and Population Sciences, Applied Research Program—Serves as a funding partner with ERS of the ATUS Eating and Health Module. The Applied Research Program at NCI supports surveys and research to assess risk factors and health behaviors that affect cancer incidence, mortality, and survival.

• University of Maryland Population Research Center's American Time Use Survey Resource Center—Hosts a user forum for researchers using the ATUS data.

• Who Has Time to Cook?—Analysis of how family resources affect food preparation time.



• How Much Time Do Americans Spend Preparing and Eating Food?—Describes time Americans spent on grocery shopping, food preparation, and eating in 2003.