ABSTRACT
As the influence of corporate fast food expands outside of the U.S. and Europe, many of the health problems previously associated with Western eating habits and nutritional regimes are beginning to proliferate across the developing world. Significantly, their rise serves as a troubling indicator of the “globesity” that threatens to overwhelm existing health care systems worldwide. To better understand the role of fast food cuisine in this accelerating trend, this article examines prevailing fast food consumption patterns and nutritional perceptions in the contemporary Philippines. Data from a 2005 consumer survey completed by over 160 college students in a provincial Philippine city provide insights into how this style of cuisine is now conceptualized and utilized locally amongst young adults. No less significant, survey findings also establish a basis from which tentative conclusions can be drawn about fast food’s growing impact on health and health behaviors in moderate and low income countries.
