Teens underestimate the calories in fast foods by 34%, the parents of school-age children by 23%, adults 20%, says lead researcher Jason Block of Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care Institute.
Block and colleagues surveyed about 3,400 adults, teens and parents of school-age children who visited 89 fast food restaurants, including McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Subway, Dunkin 'Donuts and Wendy. People were asked to estimate the calories in their diet, the researchers collected their receipts and know how many calories the food actually contains. The research was conducted in 2010 and 2011.
Among the findings, published in the BMJ, a journal of the British Medical Association:
• One-fourth of participants underestimated the calories in the food they are at least 500 calories.
• Adolescents' orders fast food contains about 756 calories, but they underestimate their orders with an average of 259 calories.
• Adult book average meal contains 836 calories, but they are underestimated by 175 calories.
• School-age children who have food gets an average of 733 calories, but their parents are guestimates 175 calories too low.
• Diners at Subway underestimate calories in their orders with a greater number of visitors than at McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Wendy's and Dunkin 'Donuts.
"It's too low suggests that the visitors do not really know what they eat in terms of calories, and they need this information to help guide their choice," Block said.
"They can get it from the company website or in other forms in the restaurant, such as wall posters, napkins or cups, but soon they will directly deal with it when they see it on a restaurant menu boards before they order their Customers eat can already do this at McDonald - and in some cities, "he said.
The study was funded in part by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.
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