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Food purchased away from home as a predictor of change in BMI z-score among girls

International Journal of Obesity volume 28, pages 282–289 (2004)Cite this article

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To assess the relationship between eating food purchased away from home (FAH) and longitudinal change in body mass index (BMI) z-score among girls, and to assess the longitudinal tracking of eating FAH from childhood through adolescence.

DESIGN: Participants kept 7-day dietary records at two points in time. The records included the place and time for all foods consumed. We recorded how often participants ate FAH, calculated the percent of total energy derived from FAH, and classified foods as quick-service food, coffee-shop food, or restaurant food.

PARTICIPANTS: Healthy girls (n=101) between the ages of 8 and 12 y at baseline and 11 and 19 y at follow-up participated in a longitudinal study of growth and development at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

STATISTICAL ANALYSES: Analysis of variance was used to assess the relationship between change in BMI z-score and both the frequency of eating FAH and energy derived from eating FAH. The participants' baseline BMI z-score was a significant covariate and was controlled for in both models. We used the kappa coefficient to assess FAH tracking from childhood through adolescence.

RESULTS: The frequency of eating quick-service food at baseline was positively associated with change in BMI z-score (F=6.49, P<0.01). Participants who ate quick-service food twice a week or more at baseline had the greatest mean increase in BMI z-score compared to those who ate quick-service food once a week or not at all. Quick-service food eating tracked slightly from childhood through adolescence (k=0.17, P<0.05).

DISCUSSION: Adolescent girls who eat quick-service food twice a week or more are likely to increase their relative BMI over time.

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Acknowledgements

This research was supported by grant M01-RR-00088 from the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health, NIH grants R01-DK50537 and 5P30-DK46200, and by an appointment to the Research Participation Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Nutrition, Obesity and Physical Activity, administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, through an interagency agreement between the US Department of Energy and CDC. Our sincere appreciation extends to Cathleen Gillespie, MS, for her statistical programming support and guidance. We also thank Mary Serdula, MD, MPH, for her editorial comments and suggestions, Deborah Galuska, PhD, and other DNPA staff for their statistical advice, the girls for their participation in the study, and the staff at CRC for their help with the study.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    O M Thompson

  2. Alaska Native Epidemiology Center, Anchorage, AK, USA

    C Ballew

  3. Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    K Resnicow

  4. Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

    A Must

  5. Department of Health Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    L G Bandini

  6. Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center, UMASS Medical School, Waltham, MA, USA

    L G Bandini

  7. Clinical Research Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

    H Cyr

  8. Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    W H Dietz

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  1. O M Thompson
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Correspondence to O M Thompson.

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Thompson, O., Ballew, C., Resnicow, K. et al. Food purchased away from home as a predictor of change in BMI z-score among girls. Int J Obes 28, 282–289 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0802538

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