From Bowling Alone to Eating Alone – What the Shift to Take-Out Food Means for Our Social Well-Being and Mental Health

Health Populi March 25, 2025
Jane Sarasohn-Kahn

New data from the American Time Use Survey, research conducted by the U.S. Census Bureau and the Bureau of Labor Statistics, shows that Americans now favor eating in-home compared with eating out at restaurants.

Corroborating this shift is other data from the National Restaurant Association sharing that 74% of all restaurant traffic in 2023 came from “off premises” customers — that is, from takeout and delivery — up from 61% in the pre-COVID era.

What does this mean for our health, well-being, and sense of community and connectivity?

I’m preparing a new talk to give later this week to a global group of business people involved in high-cost health care. The convener has asked me to speak about health equity...

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