Survey: Germans eating less healthily

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BERLIN, Dec. 25 (UPI) -- Germans are eating fewer servings of fruits and vegetables than they were last March, a survey indicates.

The overall Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index in Germany deteriorated since last March because of a decline in the percentage of Germans who report eating healthily. About 60 percent of German adults said they ate healthy all day "yesterday" in November, down significantly from 7-in-10 in March.

Additionally, the percentage of Germans who said they ate five or more servings of fruits and vegetables at least four days per week decreased to 66 percent in November, from 72 percent last March.

However, the smoking and exercise habits of Germans are essentially unchanged from earlier this year, Gallup said.

German men are less likely than women to report eating healthily and to eat fruits and vegetables frequently.

Young adults ages 18-29 are the least likely to report eating healthily, while German ages 65 and older the most likely to eat healthily. Gallup and Healthways found similar results by gender and age in the United States.

But, unlike in the United States, lower-income Germans report healthier eating behaviors than higher-income Germans. Seventy-five percent of Germans who earn $2,415 per month or less report eating healthily compared with 60 percent of those in the highest income group of $4,767 or more per month.

The telephone interviews were conducted from March 7 to Nov. 30, with a random monthly sample of about 1,000 adults a month for a total sample 8,512 adults. The overall survey has a margin of error of 1.4 percentage points.