Infrequent home-cooked meal consumption is related to the inadequacy of dietary fibre and minerals intake among Japanese adults aged 18-64 years: analysis from the 2015 National Health and Nutrition Survey

Abstract

Background: Consumption of home-cooked meals may lead to better nutritional intake. Few studies have examined the effect of frequency of home-cooked meal consumption on inadequacy of nutritional intake based on nutritional standards. We therefore aimed to examine the association between the frequency of home-cooked meal consumption and nutrient intake inadequacy among Japanese adults.Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of the 2015 National Health and Nutrition survey in Japan, involving 921 men and 1300 women aged 18–64 years, a cross-sectional survey. The frequency of home-cooked meal consumption was determined using two questions enquiring about the frequency of eating out and take-away meals. Data on dietary intake were collected using a one-day semi-weighed household dietary record. The inadequacy of each nutrient intake was assessed by comparing estimated average requirement (EAR) level for 14 nutrients and the range of the dietary goal (DG) for seven nutrients according to the 2015 version of the Dietary Reference Intake for Japanese. Participants were stratified into three groups based on the frequency of consuming home-cooked meals. Group differences in EAR and DG were assessed using the covariate and logistic regression analysis, respectively.Results: Among men and women, the proportion of participants who consumed home-cooked meals almost every day and meals prepared out of home at least once a day were 34.9% and 46.8%, and 14.7% and 6.3%, respectively. A higher frequency of consumption of home-cooked meals was associated with higher intake and adequacy of dietary fiber and minerals (iron, calcium, potassium etc.), and with higher intake of vegetables and lower intake of oils.Conclusions: Low frequency of home-cooked meal consumption was associated with insufficient intake of dietary fiber and multiple mineral intakes among Japanese adults. Dietary fiber and mineral intake may need to the focus of interventions aimed at improving nutrient intake in individuals who predominantly eat food prepared away from home.