Senior Lecturer in Nutrition De Montfort University Leicester, England, United Kingdom
Disclosure(s):
Yannan Jin, BSC, PHD, FHEA, RNUTR: No relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies to disclose.
Objectives: A growing trend of high fast and takeaway food consumption is exacerbating the global public health issues of obesity and its related health complications. Large-cohort-based studies that investigate the complex socio-demographic driving force for such dietary behaviour and its health impact is lacking.
This study aimed to examine the socio-demographic determinants of takeaway food consumption and the related health impact among a representative sample of UK adult populations.
Methods: This study analysed the nutritional data collected from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey (NDNS) for 2016 to 2017 and 2018 to 2019, among 2759 participants aged 18 and above. The takeaway food consumption, overall dietary quality and nutritional status were examined across different groups classified based on sex, ethnicity, marital status, economic status, work-type and body weight status measured by Body Mass Index (BMI) and waist-to-hip ratio (WHR). Data were statistically analysed using Independent Samples T-test, two-way analysis of variance, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal Wallis test and bivariate correlation test, using SPSS v28.0.
Results: The results showed that the frequency of takeaway food consumption significantly varied according to sex (U = 889686.5, P</em> = 0.004, r = 0.05); ethnicity (H (4) = 10.1, P = 0.039); marital status (H (4) = 82.1, P < 0.001); economic status (H (2) 148.2, P</em> = 0.000); BMI (H (4) 128.5, P = 0.023) and work-type (H (3) 9.6, P = 0.022) of the groups. A weak but significant correlation was observed between takeaway food consumption and BMI (r = 0.107, P = 0.012). Besides, participants who were married or in a civil partnership tended to have a higher daily intake of fruit and vegetables (F&V) compared to those who were single (never married) (mean difference = 80.7 g, SEM = 10.4, P = 0.000). Similarly, employed participants exceeded student groups in their F&V intake by more than one portion (mean difference = 116 g, SEM = 13.1, P = 0.000).
Conclusions: The study revealed the notable interplay of multiple socio-demographic factors with takeaway and healthy food consumptions. The results will inform future intervention studies and policy development on promoting healthy dietary behaviours and environment in the society.
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