Over consumption of fat by college students: the fast food connection

College students (416) in an introductory nutrition class were surveyed to determine how college students categorize foods and to establish the relationships between fat intake (3‐day diet record), everyday food choices and fat practices (frequency survey), and fast‐food use (attendance and food consumption). Factor analysis of everyday food choices resulted in five groupings, three high‐fat and two low‐fat. Males averaged 84 g fat/day (range 26–212); women 61 g fat/day (range 25–201). Fat intake was almost double for students with the highest fast‐food attendance (97 g) compared to the lowest (50 g). Fast‐food intake does not necessarily contribute a great amount of fat to the overall diet, but is predictive of a certain type of high‐fat dietary pattern.