MEAL QUALITY AND SOCIODEMOGRAPHIC CONDITIONS ASSOCIATIONS DIFFERS ACCORDING TO LOCATION OF MEAL PREPARATION

• Published in: Annals of nutrition and metabolism 2017-10, Vol.71 (Suppl. 2), p.637
• Main Authors: Gorgulho, Bartira, Santos, Roberta O, Teixeira, Juliana A, Pereira, Adélia, Baltar, Valéria T, Marchioni, Dirce
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adults; Age; Animal protein; Beverages; Carbohydrates; Desserts; Education; Energy intake; Expenditures; Flux density; Food; Food consumption; Food intake; Food quality; Food safety; Food sources; Income; Meals; Nutrition; Nutritional status; Nutritive value; Potatoes; Proteins; Regression analysis; Regression models; Sociodemographics
• ISSN: 0250-6807; 1421-9697
• DOI: 10.1159/000480486

Background and objectives: The choice of foods that are consumed in the same meal occurs in a very complex way, being modulated by several determinants, such as sociodemographic conditions, gender, age, nutritional status, place of consumption, food preparation, and cultural habits. In this context, the study aims to estimate the association between sociodemographic conditions and nutritional quality of main meals consumed by Brazilian adults, stratifying by the location of meal preparation (home/ away from home). Methods: We used individual food consumption data (food intake record) of 16,096 adults, of both gender, from the National Dietary Survey/Brazilian Household Expenditures Survey. The main meal was defined as the meal with the highest contribution to overall energy intake. In this case, it was lunch, classified by period of consumption (11AM-15PM). To evaluate the meal quality, we applied the Main Meal Quality Index (MMQI), 0 to 100 points, which consists of 10 items of equal weights; the items were the following: fruits (in grams), vegetables (excluding potatoes, in grams), animal protein/total protein ratio, fiber (in grams), carbohydrate (% of energy), total fat (% of energy), saturated fat (% of energy), processed meats (in portions), sugary beverages and desserts (in portions), and energy density. The association between main meal quality and each variable was measured by multiple linear regression models, adjusted by main meal energy. Results: MMQI was positively associated with males and age; and negatively associated with years of education, family income and meals prepared away from home. Meals prepared at home (58 points) maintained the association with gender, age and family income; while meals prepared away from home (55 points), with years of education. Conclusions: Main meal prepared away from home had a worse quality. Furthermore, we found different associations between MMQI and sociodemographic conditions between the locations of meal preparation.