Meal planning is associated with food variety, diet quality and body weight status in a large sample of French adults

Pauline Ducrot,Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot,Gladys Ibanez,Sandrine Péneau,Caroline Méjean,Benjamin Allès,Vani Aroumougame,Serge Hercberg

doi:10.1186/s12966-017-0461-7

Abstract

BackgroundMeal planning could be a potential tool to offset time scarcity and therefore encourage home meal preparation, which has been linked with an improved diet quality. However, to date, meal planning has received little attention in the scientific literature. The aim of our cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between meal planning and diet quality, including adherence to nutritional guidelines and food variety, as well as weight status.MethodsMeal planning, i.e. planning ahead the foods that will be eaten for the next few days, was assessed in 40,554 participants of the web-based observational NutriNet-Santé study. Dietary measurements included intakes of energy, nutrients, food groups, and adherence to the French nutritional guidelines (mPNNS-GS) estimated through repeated 24-h dietary records. A food variety score was also calculated using Food Frequency Questionnaire. Weight and height were self-reported. Association between meal planning and dietary intakes were assessed using ANCOVAs, while associations with quartiles of mPNNS-GS scores, quartiles of food variety score and weight status categories (overweight, obesity) were evaluated using logistic regression models.ResultsA total of 57% of the participants declared to plan meals at least occasionally. Meal planners were more likely to have a higher mPNNS-GS (OR quartile 4 vs. 1 = 1.13, 95% CI: [1.07–1.20]), higher overall food variety (OR quartile 4 vs. 1 = 1.25, 95% CI: [1.18–1.32]). In women, meal planning was associated with lower odds of being overweight (OR = 0.92 [0.87–0.98]) and obese (OR = 0.79 [0.73–0.86]). In men, the association was significant for obesity only (OR = 0.81 [0.69–0.94]).ConclusionsMeal planning was associated with a healthier diet and less obesity. Although no causality can be inferred from the reported associations, these data suggest that meal planning could potentially be relevant for obesity prevention.

Highlights

Meal planning could be a potential tool to offset time scarcity and encourage home meal preparation, which has been linked with an improved diet quality
Statistical analysis The analysis focused on participants who had completed the meal planning questionnaire, had declared being involved in meal preparation in their household, and who had completed at least three 24-h dietary records since they were included in the study, as well as the Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ)
The same proportions were observed in men and women, but women were more likely to have planned meals in the past compared to men (19.0% vs. 11.3%)

Summary

Introduction

Meal planning could be a potential tool to offset time scarcity and encourage home meal preparation, which has been linked with an improved diet quality. The aim of our cross-sectional study was to investigate the association between meal planning and diet quality, including adherence to nutritional guidelines and food variety, as well as weight status. In light of this observation, a number of studies have evaluated the potential impact of food prepared away from home on dietary quality, as well as weight status. These studies highlighted that the consumption of food prepared away from home is associated with a lower quality diet [5,6,7,8] and a higher body mass index [9,10,11], whereas benefits have been attributed to home-prepared food [2, 12,13,14]. Home meal preparation has been increasingly promoted as a strategy for improving dietary quality and preventing obesity [12,13,14,15]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion