Obesity and food away from home: What drives the socioeconomic gradient in excess body weight?

Strupat, Christoph; Farfán, Gabriela; Moritz, Laura; Negre, Mario; Vakis, Renos

doi:10.1016/j.ehb.2021.101048

Cited by 7 publications

(3 citation statements)

References 41 publications

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“…Literature indicates that food away from home is generally less healthy and is significantly associated with a higher prevalence of obesity [ 11 , 46 ]. In the present study, most participants reported eating away from home at least once a week which is similar to findings reported previously in the UAE, the United States, and Vietnam [ 35 , 41 , 47 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public’s calorie literacy and perceived effectiveness of restaurant menu calorie labeling in the United Arab Emirates

Cheikh Ismail,

Kassem,

Osaili

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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Restaurant menu calorie labeling is regarded as a promising, cost-effective, and innovative method that will have an impact on the food environment, raise awareness among consumers, and aid in global efforts to prevent obesity. This study aimed to assess the public’s calorie literacy, dining practices, and perceived effectiveness of restaurant menu labeling implementation in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). A descriptive, web-based cross-sectional study was conducted among 1279 adults in the UAE. Socio-demographic characteristics, calorie literacy, and perceived effectiveness of restaurant menu labeling among participants were investigated. Chi-square analysis was used to compare indicators across demographic characteristics. More females than males completed the online survey, (56.1% and 43.9%). Most of the participants aged < 30 years old (54.8%), The majority of participants reported eating away from home at least once per week (89.6%). 66.0% of participants were knowledgeable about calorie definition, but only 37.1% knew about average daily energy requirements. Younger participants, with a normal BMI, and higher education levels reported a significantly higher likelihood of eating at a chain restaurant with caloric information on the menu (p <0.05). The majority of participants (76.0%) preferred to see calorie information and other nutrition information on menus. To conclude, menu labeling is a welcomed policy to be implemented in food outlets. Further investigation is necessary to ascertain the most efficacious method of presenting nutrition information to consumers to facilitate informed purchasing decisions considering the potential benefits of mandating calorie declaration in obesity prevention efforts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Public’s calorie literacy and perceived effectiveness of restaurant menu calorie labeling in the United Arab Emirates

Cheikh Ismail,

Kassem,

Osaili

et al. 2023

PLoS ONE

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“…If greater percent of the household expenditure is utilized for FAFH, quality of foods consumed could be compromised [ 51 ]. These findings raise serious concern as the socioeconomic gradient in obesity is attributable to the setting or food environment that affects the poorer sections of the populations and identifies the need to study the effect of dietary behavior in such settings [ 52 , 53 ]. Work by Du and co-workers explained the combined effect of FAFH along with race, ethnicity, and low family income with all-cause mortality.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Pooled prevalence of food away from home (FAFH) and associated non-communicable disease (NCD) markers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Godbharle

Jeyakumar

Giri

et al. 2022

J Health Popul Nutr

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Background Food away from home (FAFH) is an ‘eating behavior’ widely practiced across nations, more common in developed nations. Likewise, in developing countries an increase of close to 50% indicates an upsurge in FAFH consumption. While various indices and tools are used to assess diet quality, diversity, or healthy eating, FAFH is less utilized to study dietary behaviors and the associated disease risk. Objective To calculate the pooled estimate of FAFH and identify the associated non-communicable disease (NCD) markers. Design Systematic review and meta-analysis. Methods Independent electronic searches were conducted across 6 databases: Medline, Web of Science, Scopus, Cochrane library, Ingenta, and CAB direct. Observational studies investigating the association between FAFH and NCD markers published between the year 2011 and 2021 were eligible for inclusion. Studies that included overweight or obese participants, pregnant women, or those under institutional care at baseline were excluded. The guidelines for reporting meta-analysis of observational studies in epidemiology were adhered to in the preparation of this systematic review. Results The random effects combined estimate for the overall prevalence of FAFH was 39.96% (95% CI 29.97–53.29). High heterogeneity (τ2 = 0.63, I2 = 100%) and high risk of bias were observed among the selected studies. The test for overall effect was observed to be z = 25.11 (p < 0.001). Eleven out of fourteen studies showed a positive association between FAFH and anthropometric changes. Twelve out of seventeen studies showed a positive association between FAFH and cardiovascular disease (CVD) biomarkers. Conclusion Our work confirms FAFH as an evolving dietary behavior in both developing and developed countries, emphasizing the lack of representation from low-income countries. The association of FAFH with obesity and non-communicable disease risk is reinforced by our analyses. These findings should enable policy decisions to meet the rising demand of FAFH with healthier options to prevent the risk of NCD.

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“…In light of these circumstances, it is imperative to analyse the growing trend of eating out from a nutritional standpoint, considering the mounting evidence linking consumption of out-of-home foods to issues such as excess body weight (7) , obesity (8) and increased risk of non-communicable diseases (6) . This alarming phenomenon is predominantly attributed to the high intake of fat, salt and calories in food (5,7) . The connection between excessive dietary salt intake and hypertension (9)(10)(11) has become increasingly apparent.…”

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confidence: 99%

Perceptions, barriers and enablers on salt reduction in the out-of-home sectors in Malaysia (MySaltOH) from the perspective of street food vendors, caterers and consumers

Zainal Arifen,

Haron,

Shahar

et al. 2023

Public Health Nutr.

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Objective: To explore the perspectives, barriers, and enablers on salt reduction in out-of-home sectors in Malaysia among street food vendors, caterers, and consumers. Design: A qualitative study involving 22 focus group discussions and six in-depth interviews was conducted, recorded and transcribed verbatim. An inductive thematic analysis approach was employed to analyze the data. Setting: Two in-depth interviews and 22 focus group discussions were conducted face-to-face. Four in-depth interviews were conducted online. Participants: Focus group discussions were conducted among 23 street food vendors, 21 caterers, and 76 consumers of various eateries. In-depth interviews were conducted among two street food vendors, and four caterers, individually. Results: Consumers and food operators perceived a high salt intake within Malaysia’s out-of-home food sectors. Food operators emphasized the necessity for a comprehensive salt reduction policy in the out-of-home sector involving all stakeholders. Consumers faced limited awareness and knowledge, counterproductive practices among food operators, and challenges in accessing affordable low-sodium food products; whereas food operators faced the lack of standardized guidelines and effective enforcement mechanisms, and uncooperative consumer practices. Both groups expressed that food quality and price of salt were also the barriers, and they advocated for awareness promotion, enhanced regulation of manufactured food products, and stricter enforcement targeting vendors. Consumers also suggested promoting and recognizing health-conscious food premises; whereas food operators suggested on knowledge enhancement tailored to them, strategies for gaining consumers acceptance, and maintaining food quality. Conclusions: These findings provide valuable insights that serve as foundational evidence for developing and implementing salt reduction policies within Malaysia’s out-of-home sectors.

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Obesity and food away from home: What drives the socioeconomic gradient in excess body weight?

Cited by 7 publications

References 41 publications

Public’s calorie literacy and perceived effectiveness of restaurant menu calorie labeling in the United Arab Emirates

Public’s calorie literacy and perceived effectiveness of restaurant menu calorie labeling in the United Arab Emirates

Pooled prevalence of food away from home (FAFH) and associated non-communicable disease (NCD) markers: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Perceptions, barriers and enablers on salt reduction in the out-of-home sectors in Malaysia (MySaltOH) from the perspective of street food vendors, caterers and consumers

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