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

Abstract

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.

Auditing causality of the multiple-burden of malnutrition in India and South Africa: a critical need for directions

“…The higher concern is the penetration of food outlets in residential areas, and the convenience of online purchases is typical characteristics of urbanisation, characterised by less time for food preparation and women contributing to the family's income (18) . In both countries, there has been significant acculturation and people have moved away from traditional diets (19)(20)(21) . A spate of similar changes in the food environment is a telling sign of serious ill-health consequences in both countries.…”

Association Between Eating Habit, Sedentary Lifestyle, and Place of Living with Nutritional Status Among College Students at Sebelas Maret University

“…Eating habits obtained from outside the home have become dietary behaviour in developing and developed countries. The increase in consumption of food obtained from outside the home has increased by almost 50% in developing countries 21 . In this study, it appears that the habit of eating outside the respondent's home is obtained by buying directly or through a delivery service.…”

“…This habit is strongly related to an increased risk of non-communicable diseases and obesity 21 . Food purchased from outside the home is known to be energy dense with poor food quality.…”

Using of food service: changes in a Brazilian sample during the COVID-19 pandemic

“…In the country, the prevalence of obesity and overweight was already high before the pandemic, reaching 25.9% and 60.3% of the population, respectively, in 2019 (Ferreira et al , 2021). Furthermore, high consumption of food away from home is associated with an increased risk of developing chronic non-communicable diseases, such as diabetes, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and other diseases (Binkley and Liu, 2019; Du et al , 2021; Godbharle et al , 2022).…”