American children food habits, to eat outside and that too in large quantities, seem to be increasing the obesity epidemic in the USA. According to the study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, the kind of food children eat and also where they eat has significant effect on their daily energy intake.

The researchers have revealed that this study is first of its kind, as no other study has pointed to the relation of energy consumption and eating location. It has noted that between 1994 and 2006, the amount of calories consumed per day from store-bought foods eaten away from home and fast foods eaten at home grew considerably. This rise in consumption of store-prepared foods has not yet been identified.

Investigators told that between 1977 and 2006, US children increased their daily calorie consumption by 179 calories. Study has found that it is linked to a substantial rise in calories consumed away from home, which is estimated to be an increase of about 255 calories per day.

Study researcher Jennifer M. Poti, a doctoral student at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, told that children eat about 179 more calories a day, and it’s quite high when compare to the children three decades ago.

Findings may help parents reduce calorie intake among their children.