Eating and Health Module (ATUS)

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. See Quick Facts. 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.

Data

USDA’s Economic Research Service, along with its funding and technical assistance cosponsors—the Food and Nutrition Service (FNS) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI)—worked with the Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and the Census Bureau to collect data for the 2014-16 Eating & Health Module (EH Module), a supplement to the American Time Use Survey (ATUS). The 2014-16 EH Module asks ATUS respondents about secondary eating—that is, eating while doing another activity; soft drink consumption; grocery shopping preferences and fast food purchases; meal preparation and food safety practices; food assistance participation; general health, height and weight, and exercise; and income. 

See American Time Use Survey: Eating & Health Module 2014-16 Questionnaire and 2014-16 Eating & Health Module User's Guide (2016 Edition).

ERS's 2006-08 EH Module produced 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 Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP). Data were 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: Eating and Health Module User's Guide (2010 Edition) and Documentation: 2006-08.

 

 


Data Set Last Updated Next Update
2016
Table 1: Time spent in eating, drinking, and associated activities, and percent of civilian population engaged in each activity on an average day in 2016, age 15 and older and age 18 and older 12/7/2017
Table 2: Time spent in eating, drinking, and associated activities, and percent of civilian population engaged in each activity on an average day in 2016, by various subgroups 12/7/2017
Table 3: Usual grocery shopper and usual meal preparer in the household, on an average day in 2016, age 18 and older 12/7/2017
Table 4: Fast food purchases (number of times) over previous 7 days, on an average day in 2016, for civilian population age 15 and older and age 18 and older who purchased fast food in the previous week 12/7/2017
Table 5: Time spent in selected activities by usual grocery shopper status, on an average day in 2016, age 18 and older 12/7/2017
Table 6: Time spent in selected activities by usual meal preparer status, on an average day in 2016, age 18 and older 12/7/2017
Table 7: Average minutes per day spent in selected food-related and other activities, on an average day in 2016, age 18 and older 12/7/2017
Table 8: Average minutes per day spent in selected food-related and other activities, on an average day in 2016, age 20 and older 12/7/2017
2015
Table 1: Time spent in eating, drinking, and associated activities, and percent of civilian population engaged in each activity on an average day in 2015, age 15 and older and age 18 and older 3/29/2017
Table 2: Time spent in eating, drinking, and associated activities, and percent of civilian population engaged in each activity on an average day in 2015, by various subgroups 3/29/2017
Table 3: Usual grocery shopper and usual meal preparer in the household, on an average day in 2015, age 18 and older 3/29/2017
Table 4: Fast food purchases (number of times) over previous 7 days, on an average day in 2015, for civilian population age 15 and older and age 18 and older who purchased fast food in the previous week 3/29/2017
Table 5: Time spent in selected activities by usual grocery shopper status, on an average day in 2015, age 18 and older 3/29/2017
Table 6: Time spent in selected activities by usual meal preparer status, on an average day in 2015, age 18 and older 3/29/2017
Table 7: Average minutes per day spent in selected food-related and other activities, on an average day in 2015, age 18 and older 3/29/2017
Table 8: Average minutes per day spent in selected food-related and other activities, on an average day in 2015, age 20 and older 3/29/2017
2014
Table 1: Time spent in eating, drinking, and associated activities, and percent of civilian population engaged in each activity on an average day in 2014, age 15 and older and age 18 and older 5/16/2016
Table 2: Time spent in eating, drinking, and associated activities, and percent of civilian population engaged in each activity on an average day in 2014, by various subgroups 5/16/2016
Table 3: Usual grocery shopper and usual meal preparer in the household, on an average day in 2014, age 18 and older 5/16/2016
Table 4: Fast food purchases (number of times) over previous 7 days, on an average day in 2014, for civilian population age 15 and older and age 18 and older who purchased fast food in the previous week 5/16/2016
Table 5: Time spent in selected activities by usual grocery shopper status, on an average day in 2014, age 18 and older 5/16/2016
Table 6: Time spent in selected activities by usual meal preparer status, on an average day in 2014, age 18 and older 5/16/2016
Table 7: Average minutes per day spent in selected food-related and other activities, on an average day in 2014, age 18 and older 5/16/2016
Table 8: Average minutes per day spent in selected food-related and other activities, on an average day in 2014, age 20 and older 5/16/2016
Archived data tables
2008
Table 1-Time spent in eating and drinking activities and percent of civilian population age 15 and older engaged in each activity, averages per day, 2008 annual averages 4/2/2010
Table 2-Time spent in eating and drinking activities and percent of civilian population engaged in each activity, by various subgroups, averages per day, 2008 annual averages 4/2/2010
Table 3-Usual grocery shopper and usual meal preparer in household for the population age 18 and older, 2008 annual averages 4/2/2010
Table 4-Time spent in various activities for the civilian population age 18 and older by usual grocery shopper/usual meal preparer status, 2008 annual averages 4/2/2010
Table 5-Time spent in various activities for the civilian population age 18 and older by household characteristics, and SNAP participation, averages per day, 2008 annual averages 4/2/2010
Table 6-Time spent in various activities for the civilian population age 20 and older by Body Mass Index, averages per day, 2008 annual averages 4/2/2010
Table 7 -Meals obtained at school, day care, or summer camp and time spent in various activities for civilian population age 19 and older, averages per day by household characteristics, 2008 annual averages 4/2/2010
2007
Table 1-Time spent in eating and drinking activities and percent of civilian population age 15 and older engaged in each activity, averages per day, 2007 annual averages 6/15/2009
Table 2-Time spent in eating and drinking activities and percent of civilian population engaged in each activity, by various subgroups, averages per day, 2007 annual averages 6/15/2009
Table 3-Usual grocery shopper and usual meal preparer in household for the population age 18 and older, 2007 annual averages 6/15/2009
Table 4-Time spent in various activities for the civilian population age 18 and older by usual grocery shopper/usual meal preparer status, 2007 annual averages 6/15/2009
Table 5-Time spent in various activities for the civilian population age 18 and older by household characteristics, and Food Stamp Program participation, averages per day, 2007 annual averages 6/15/2009
Table 6-Time spent in various activities for the civilian population age 20 and older by Body Mass Index, averages per day, 2007 annual averages 6/15/2009
Table 7-Meals obtained at school, day care, or summer camp and time spent in various activities for civilian population age 19 and older, averages per day by household characteristics, 2007 annual averages 6/15/2009
2006
Table 1—Time spent in eating and drinking activities and percent of civilian population age 15 and older engaged in each activity, averages per day, 2006 annual averages 6/15/2009
Table 2—Time spent in eating and drinking activities and percent of civilian population by age engaged in each activity, by various subgroups, averages per day, 2006 annual averages 6/15/2009
Table 3—Usual grocery shopper and usual meal preparer in household for the population age 18 and older, 2006 annual averages 6/15/2009
Table 4—Time spent in various activities for the civilian population age 18 and older by usual grocery shopper/usual meal preparer status, 2006 annual averages 6/15/2009
Table 5—Time spent in various activities for the civilian population age 18 and older by household characteristics, and Food Stamp Program participation, averages per day, 2006 annual averages 6/15/2009
Table 6—Time spent in various activities for the civilian population age 20 and older by Body Mass Index, averages per day, 2006 annual averages 6/15/2009
Table 7—Meals obtained at school, day care, or summer camp and time spent in various activities for civilian population age 19 and older, averages per day by household characteristics, 2006 annual averages 6/15/2009