How Often Do Physicians Eat Out? The Keystone Forum on Away-From-Home Foods reported that the percentage of American food budgets allocated to away-from-home foods rose from 26.3% in 1970 to 46% in 2002, and subsequent reports in the popular press indicate that this percentage has not decreased since then. The Forum also concluded that eating out more frequently is associated with obesity, higher percentage of body fat, and higher BMI,which has been observed in other studies as well. Still, it is uncertain whether eating out is related to obesity or whether those who eat at fast-food chains are just more vulnerable. This is reflected in the Medscape survey, where two thirds (65%) of overweight to obese physicians say that they eat out at least once a week but so do 56% of those who are normal to underweight. Source
