Frequency of Intake and Type of Away-from- Home Foods Consumed Are Associated with Diet Quality in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (HCHS/SOL)

Abstract

Background: Away-from-home foods (AFHFs) influence diet quality, a modifiable obesity risk factor, with limited generalizable evidence in Hispanic/Latino adults. Objective: We investigated associations between AFHF intake with diet quality and overweight or obesity among US Hispanic/Latino adults. Methods: Cross-sectional baseline (2008-2011) analyses included adults (n = 16,045) aged 18-74 y in the national Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos. Participants self-reported AFHF consumption frequency from 10 different settings and dietary intake (2-d 24-h recall). The Alternate Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI-2010) was used to measure diet quality; higher scores indicated a healthier diet and scores were categorized into tertiles. WHO classifications categorized overweight [body mass index (BMI; kg/m 2): 25.0-29.9] and obesity (BMI ≥30). Multivariate-adjusted associations of AFHF frequency or type with AHEI-2010, overweight, or obesity were assessed by using complex survey logistic regression (ORs and 95% CIs). Results: Almost half of participants (47.1%) reported eating AFHFs ≥5 times/wk. The mean ± SE AHEI-2010 score was 47.5 ± 0.2. More than one-third (37.2%) were classified as overweight and 39.6% classified as obese. Compared with consuming AFHFs ≥5 times/wk, consuming AFHFs <1 time/wk or 1-2 times/wk was associated with greater odds of being in higher AHEI-2010 tertiles, indicating a healthier diet [<1 time/wk-tertile 2: OR (95% CI): 1.6 (1.4, 1.9); tertile 3: 2.5 (2.1, 3.1); 1-2 times/wk-tertile 2: OR (95% CI): 1.4 (1.2, 1.6); tertile 3: 1.5 (1.2, 1.8)]. Consumption of AFHFs ≥1 time/wk from each AFHF setting, compared with consumption of any AFHFs <1 time/wk was associated with lower odds of being in higher AHEI-2010 tertiles. Increasing AFHF intake frequency was not associated with odds of overweight or obesity. Eating from on-street vendors ≥1 time/wk was associated with obesity (OR: 1.5; 95% CI: 1.1, 2.0). Conclusions: Consumption of AFHFs was prevalent among Hispanic/Latino adults and was associated with poorer diet quality. Findings may help to identify dietary targets to improve diet quality and prevent obesity in US Hispanics/Latinos.

Eating Out and Consumers’ Health: Evidence on Obesity and Balanced Nutrition Intakes

“…This study tries to address a bit deeper research question regarding the non-linearity. If marginal effects of FAFH on health outcome appear to not be linear, it may comprise positive to negative (or negative to positive) marginal effects, which was not manifested in the prior studies ( [29][30][31][32]). In this sense, the subsequent research question that deserves to be investigated is the optimal level of frequency of having FAFH that results in the best health outcome such as minimizing obesity.…”

“…In other words, multi-level hypothetical treatments of the frequency of FAFH are investigated in this study. Prior studies that have shown non-linear relationship between frequency of having FAFH and health outcomes estimate the effects by applying a regression model for consumer groups divided by FAFH frequency (Fulkerson et al [30], Seguin et al [31] and McClain [32]). Therefore, self-selection bias remains an issue.…”

Diet Quality and Eating Practices among Hispanic/Latino Men and Women: NHANES 2011–2016

“…A 2018 report from the USDA, Economic Research Service found employed individuals reported higher weekly frequencies of food away from home compared to those unemployed [35]. Intake of meals prepared outside the home and convenience foods or 'ready-meals' is prevalent among Hispanic/Latino adults and has been associated with poorer diet quality and health outcomes [36,37].…”

“My Tummy Tells Me” Cognitions, Barriers and Supports of Parents and School-Age Children for Appropriate Portion Sizes

“…Kids expected parents to provide guidance on how much to eat and some reported they need permission before getting second helpings at meals. Depending on parents to determine portion size can be troublesome as children mature and increasingly eat away from their families [ 47 ] because kids will not be equipped to make portion size decisions independently. Furthermore, if children are accustomed to determining how much to eat by the amount parents serve them, it is possible children will overeat when served large restaurant portions.…”