Takeaway food consumption, diet quality and abdominal obesity in young adults

Abstract

Background - Takeaway food consumption is associated with a higher BMI and poorer diet quality in the USA but little is known about the association in Australians.Objective - To examine if takeaway food consumption is associated with abdominal obesity and poorer diet quality in young Australian adults.Design - A national sample of 1,277 men and 1,585 women aged 26-36 completed a self-administered questionnaire on demographic and lifestyle factors, a 127 item food frequency questionnaire, and usual frequency of fruit, vegetable and takeaway food consumption. Dietary intake was compared with the dietary recommendations of the Australian Guide to Healthy Eating. A pedometer was worn for seven days. Waist circumference was measured and moderate abdominal obesity was defined as &ge;94 cm for men and &ge;80 cm for women. Prevalence ratios (PR) were calculated using log binomial regression with eating takeaway food once a week or less as the reference group.Outcomes - Consumption of takeaway food twice a week or more was reported by more men (37.9%) than women (17.7%). Participants eating takeaway food at least twice a week were less likely to meet the guidelines for vegetables (P&lt;0.05 men and women), fruit (P&lt;0.001 men and women), dairy (P&lt;0.01 men and women), extra foods (P=0.001 men and women), breads and cereals (P&lt;0.05 men only), lean meats and alternatives (P&lt;0.05 women only) and overall met significantly fewer dietary guidelines (P&lt;0.001 men and women) than participants eating takeaway less than twice per week. After adjusting for confounding variables (age, physical activity, TV viewing, and employment status) consuming takeaway food twice a week or more was associated with a 31% higher prevalence of moderate abdominal obesity in men (PR 1.31; 95% CI: 1.07, 1.61) and a 25% higher prevalence in women (PR 1.25; 95% CI: 1.04, 1.50).Conclusion - Eating takeaway food twice a week or more was associated with poorer diet quality and a higher prevalence of moderate abdominal obesity in both young men and young women.<br /