Commercially prepared foods from restaurants, stores, increasing kids’ calorie-count Health Consultant

Commercially prepared foods from restaurants, stores, increasing kids’ calorie-count

Eating food prepared outside the home is contributing to America’s obesity epidemic, especially in children, a new study from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill suggests.

The study, published in the August 2011 edition of the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, indicates that where children eat, as well as the source of the actual meal, affect daily calorie intake. The increase in overall calorie intake for children is being fueled by foods prepared away from home, including fast food eaten at home and store-prepared food eaten away from home. This study offers a unique point of view, as it focuses not only on the foods consumed away from home, but also on foods prepared away from home.

According to study information, the greatest increase in calories per day from 1994-2006 was in fast food eaten at home and store-bought/prepared foods eaten away from home. This latter increase likely represents the increase in the availability of store-prepared foods—a previously unidentified and un-quantified source of calories prepared away from home, the study indicates.

Fast food intake has surpassed food consumed at schools, the researchers indicated, and is now the largest contributor to foods prepared away from home for all age groups. Foods from stores, however, have become the largest source of calories eaten away from home.

“Overall, this study highlights the continuing rapid shifts in the sources of food for children in the US – both where it’s eaten and where it’s prepared,” said co-author Barry M. Popkin, PhD, Professor of Nutrition, UNC’s Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill. “These results underscore the need to deepen our understanding of food preparation and consumption patterns, and further pinpoint where research and programmatic activity should focus.”

The study focused on the increased calorie intake of children from 1977-2006, and determined that it was associated with a major increase in calories eaten away from home (+225 kcal/day)—an increase from 23.4 percent of calories eaten away from home to 33.9 percent over time. The sample included data from 29,217 children, ages two to 18 years, using data from four national surveys: Nationwide Food Consumption Survey; Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals; Continuing Survey of Food Intakes by Individuals; and the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys.

“The differences in energy intake by eating location revealed in this analysis demonstrate that eating location is an important factor in the diet of American children,” explained Dr. Popkin. “Further studies of children’s diet focusing on energy intake and nutritional quality by eating location are warranted, particularly for store-purchased food overall, carry-out or drive-thru fast food, and hot-and-ready vs. home-prepared foods.”

The article, “Trends in energy intake among US children by eating location and food source, 1977-2006,” by Jennifer M. Poti and Barry M. Popkin, PhD, appears in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association, Volume 111, Issue 8 (August 2011). Additionally, a video presentation of the overview of the research details by Poti is available online.

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