Abstract
Changes in demographic and socioeconomic characteristics have contributed to an increase in away-from-home food consumption. Although consumers are increasingly demanding higher quality food, unbalanced nutrition intakes and health issues such as obesity remain prominent predicaments. This paper investigates the relationship between the frequency of having Food Away From Home (FAFH), balanced dietary intakes, and obesity (controlling for covariates) among Korean adults aged 19 to 64. Whether there exists a linear relationship between the number of having FAFH and health outcome is investigated and the optimal number of having FAFH that leads to the best health outcome is identified in the study. The results suggest that Food Away From Home generally increases deviations of dietary intakes from the reference intakes and high-frequency FAFH consumers have an elevated chance of being obese (36.22%). However, having FAFH 1–7 times per week is associated with decreased body mass index (BMI) and a lower chance of being obese in comparison to the outcomes of having food at home. The optimal level of consuming FAFH is identified to be 5–7 times per week in terms of BMI and obesity. However, consuming no FAFH is suggested to be the best in terms of balanced nutrition intake.
Highlights
Changes in demographic and socioeconomic factors have contributed to changes in food consumption behavior
The subsequent research question that deserves to be investigated is the optimal level of frequency of having Food Away From Home (FAFH) that results in the best health outcome such as minimizing obesity. Focusing these two research questions, the present study explores the effects of the frequency of consuming FAFH on balanced nutrition intake and the corresponding health outcome of obesity
These results indicate that effects of having FAFH on the deviation of nutrition intake are non-linear, its marginal effects do not appear to change from a negative to a positive one
Summary
Changes in demographic and socioeconomic factors have contributed to changes in food consumption behavior. The consumption of processed food and away-from-home foods has significantly increased and caused concerns about people’s health [3]. Consumers’ nutrient intakes and overall health can be affected by where and what they eat [4,5,6]. Away-from-home foods are generally linked to more adverse health outcomes compared to at-home foods [7,8,9]. As eating habits are closely related to health, it is crucial to intake all of the required nutrients right amount in order to have a balanced diet and maintain good health status. While the relationship of health outcomes to away-from-home food consumption has been explored, a more comprehensive investigation on this type of consumption and its relation to health effects driven by inadequate nutrient intake is required
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