Where Do Adolescents Eat Less-Healthy Foods? Correspondence Analysis and Logistic Regression Results from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey.

Luigi Palla,Gerda Pot,Eric Beh,Eva Almiron-Roig,Andrew Chapman

doi:10.3390/nu12082235

Abstract

This study investigates the relationship between the consumption of foods and eating locations (home, school/work and others) in British adolescents, using data from the UK National Diet and Nutrition Survey Rolling Program (2008–2012 and 2013–2016). A cross-sectional analysis of 62,523 food diary entries from this nationally representative sample was carried out for foods contributing up to 80% total energy to the daily adolescent’s diet. Correspondence analysis (CA) was used to generate food–location relationship hypotheses followed by logistic regression (LR) to quantify the evidence in terms of odds ratios and formally test those hypotheses. The less-healthy foods that emerged from CA were chips, soft drinks, chocolate and meat pies. Adjusted odds ratios (99% CI) for consuming specific foods at a location “other” than home (H) or school/work (S) in the 2008–2012 survey sample were: for soft drinks, 2.8 (2.1 to 3.8) vs. H and 2.0 (1.4 to 2.8) vs. S; for chips, 2.8 (2.2 to 3.7) vs. H and 3.4 (2.1 to 5.5) vs. S; for chocolates, 2.6 (1.9 to 3.5) vs. H and 1.9 (1.2 to 2.9) vs. S; and for meat pies, 2.7 (1.5 to 5.1) vs. H and 1.3 (0.5 to 3.1) vs. S. These trends were confirmed in the 2013–2016 survey sample. Interactions between location and BMI were not significant in either sample. In conclusion, public health policies to discourage less-healthy food choices in locations away from home and school/work are warranted for adolescents, irrespective of their BMI.

Highlights

Obesity is a global public health problem, in developed countries where the growing longevity of populations implies a steadily increasing burden of chronic diseases including obesity and its associated co-morbidities [1]
The initial Correspondence analysis (CA) plot (Figure S10) comprising all twenty-five P80 foods showed larger deviations from the average food profile for coated chicken, chips and sweetened soft drinks, which appeared in the graph in the same direction as leisure locations, while chocolates and meat pies appeared in the direction of mobile locations and other locations, and crisps, brown bread and biscuits appeared close enough to the school location
The CA biplot for healthier food suggests that cooked vegetables tend to be associated with home, brown bread with school and fruit primarily with mobile locations (Figure 1)

Summary

Introduction

Obesity is a global public health problem, in developed countries where the growing longevity of populations implies a steadily increasing burden of chronic diseases including obesity and its associated co-morbidities [1]. Current obesity rates coincide with dietary population trends showing a high consumption of fat-rich, sugar-rich and nutrient-poor foods (typically categorized as “less-healthy” or “non-core” foods by nutrition professionals) to the detriment of nutrient-dense, low energy density options In the UK, for example, 13.5% and 14.1% of boys and girls, respectively, 18 years) were overweight in 2017, of which 19.4% (boys) and 15.1% (girls) were obese. All population groups, including adolescents, had a mean fruit and vegetable intake below the 5 a day recommendation [4]. Intake of some desirable nutrients such as vitamin

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