Trends in food intake: the 1987 and 1992 National Health Interview Surveys.

To examine food intake trends in the US population, cross-sectional nationally representative food intake data were obtained from the 1987 and 1992 National Health Interview Survey Cancer Control Supplements. In each of these years, approximately 10,000 respondents completed methodologically consistent food frequency questionnaires containing the same 57 food items. Between 1987 and 1992, the proportion of Americans consuming high-fat foods, including fried fish, fried chicken, bacon, eggs, whole milk, and butter, decreased. The proportion of Americans drinking alcoholic beverages also decreased: fewer drank wine and hard liquor in 1992. The proportion of fruit and vegetable consumers remained stable over time. These results are similar to those obtained from more detailed national surveys. National guidelines urge Americans to avoid intake of high-fat foods, increase consumption of fruits and vegetables, and practice moderation when drinking alcoholic beverages to prevent cancer and other chronic diseases. The direction of Americans' apparent changes in food usage between 1987 and 1992, evaluated using limited data from food frequency questionnaires, suggests greater behavioral changes in the direction of guidelines recommending avoidance of foods that may increase the risk of cancer than in the direction of guidelines recommending increased consumption of foods that may confer protection.