Eating Out Increases Kids Obesity Risk

CHAPEL HILL, N.C.Children who eat more meals away from home, or prepared foods from the grocery store, consume more calories and have an increased risk of obesity compared to kids who eat home cooked meals, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association.

Researchers at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill examined children's eating habits based on a large sample, using data on 29,217 children age 2 to 18 years from four nationally representative surveys of food intake for the U.S. population. Data revealed children eat and where their food comes from has a considerable impact on their daily energy intake.

Trends in energy intake by eating location have not been examined previously and therefore this study is unique because of its focus on foods consumed away from home as well as foods prepared away from home. The location/source categories showing the greatest increase in percent of kcal/day from 1994 to 2006 were fast food eaten at home and store-bought food eaten away from home. The increase in store-bought foods eaten away from home likely represents an increase in store-prepared foods, and this is a previously unidentified and unquantified new source of calories prepared away from home.

The percentage of calories from fast food has increased to surpass intake from schools and has become the largest contributor to foods prepared away from home for all age groups. For foods eaten away from home, the percentage of kcal/day from stores increased to become the largest source of calories eaten away from home. Fast food eaten at home and store-bought food eaten away from home increased significantly.

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 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," said Barry M. Popkin, PhD, Professor of Nutrition, UNC's Gillings School of Global Public Health, University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill.