Who is eating where? Findings from the SocioEconomic Status and Activity in Women (SESAW) study

Abstract

Objective: Foods prepared outside of the home have been linked to less-than-ideal nutrient profiles for health. We examine whether the locations where meals are prepared and consumed are associated with socio-economic predictors among women. Design: A cross-sectional study using self-reported data. We examined multiple locations where meals are prepared and consumed: (i) at home; (ii) fast food eaten at home; (iii) fast food eaten at the restaurant; (iv) total fast food; (v) non-fast-food restaurant meals eaten at home; (vi) non-fast-food restaurant meals eaten at the restaurant; and (vii) all non-fast-food restaurant meals. Multilevel logistic regression was used to determine whether frequent consumption of meals from these sources varied by level of education, occupation, household income and area-level disadvantage. Setting: Metropolitan Melbourne, Australia. Subjects: A total of 1328 women from forty-five neighbourhoods randomly sampled for the SocioEconomic Status and Activity in Women study. Results: Those with higher educational qualifications or who were not in the workforce (compared with those in professional employment) were more likely to report frequent consumption of meals prepared and consumed at home. High individualand area-level socio-economic characteristics were associated with a lower likelihood of frequent consumption of fast food and a higher likelihood of frequent consumption of meals from non-fast-food sources. The strength and significance of relationships varied by place of consumption. Conclusions: The source of meal preparation and consumption varied by socioeconomic predictors. This has implications for policy makers who need to continue to campaign to make healthy alternatives available in out-of-home food sources. Keywords Eating behavioursFast food Socio-economic position Over 60 % of Australian adults and 25 % of children are now overweight or obese (1) and therefore at increased risk for multiple adverse health outcomes, including type 2 diabetes, CVD, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, asthma, arthritis and some cancers (2,3) . Consumption of energy-dense foods and beverages is a key modifiable risk factor for weight gain and obesity (4,5) . Fast-food outlets are one of the most recognisable sources of energy-dense foods, despite some outlets offering a limited range of healthy options. In Britain, the energy density of traditional fast-food menus is reported to be up to 65 % higher than that of the average British diet and more than twice as high as that recommended for a healthy diet (6) . Although it is recognised that energydense meals can also be obtained from sources other than fast-food outlets, there is little consistent information available on the nutritional quality of meals from nonfast-food restaurants, although it has been suggested that foods from full-service restaurants may be equally healthy or even unhealthier than some fast-food options (7) . Compared with meals prepared at home, and acknowledging that meals from all sources are likely to be hig...

Set points, settling points and some alternative models: theoretical options to understand how genes and environments combine to regulate body adiposity

“…elevated food intake) or a downward shift in the need to engage in physical activity – the so-called ‘obesogenic’ environment. Energy intake can be increased by one or more of the following environmental factors: an increase in portion sizes (Rolls et al, 2007), increased exposure to high energy density foods (Hetherington and Rolls, 2008; Rolls, 2010), an increase in the variety of foods offered (Rolls and Hetherington, 1989), a greater tendency to eat outside the home (Thornton et al, 2010) where portion sizes are larger (Piernas and Popkin, 2011; Duffey and Popkin, 2011) and where eating behaviour is increased by eating with others (Hetherington et al, 2006), or other concurrent activities such as eating while watching television (Epstein et al, 1992; Epstein et al, 1997; Wansink, 2004; Temple et al, 2007). These factors interact with psychological (and probably genetic) factors in given individuals (Westerterp-Plantenga et al, 1996; Vogels and Westerterp-Plantenga, 2005; Vogels et al, 2005).…”

A repeated cross-sectional study of socio-economic inequities in dietary sodium consumption among Canadian adults: implications for national sodium reduction strategies

“…One possible explanation pertains to trends in socio-economic patterning of eating outside of the home (e.g., in restaurants). Some studies [52] though not others [53] show a positive association between education and eating outside of the home, and sodium content of restaurant meals (including fast food and sit-down restaurants) has been found to be very high [54]. It is thus possible that more eating outside of the home is offsetting any nutritional advantages that higher education groups may otherwise have.…”

Top 10 Research Questions Related to Energy Balance

“…Factors that may alter body weight include television viewing (Epstein et al, 2008;Jordan, 2010), attending college (Cluskey & Grobe, 2009), and getting married (Sobal, Hanson, & Frongillo, 2009). Environment may influence EI through the availability of energy-dense foods (Rolls, 2010), portion sizes (Duffey & Popkin, 2011;Piernas & Popkin, 2011;Rolls, Roe, & Meengs, 2007), eating location (Thornton, Crawford, & Ball, 2011), and eating during television watching (Epstein, Paluch, Smith, & Sayette, 1997;Epstein, Rodefer, Wisniewski, & Caggiula, 1992). Future directions should identify those environmental factors where interventions may be effective, either through changing the actual environment or altering the perception of that environment (Kirtland et al, 2003).…”