To compare diet quality scores between adult non-meat eaters and meat eaters, and to compare the consumption of diet components across quintiles of diet quality.

Cross-sectional analysis. The Healthy Eating Index-2010 (HEI-2010) and Alternative Healthy Eating Index-2010 (AHEI-2010) were used to assess mean diet quality. Differences in consumption of diet components between quintiles of diet quality were tested using post hoc Wald tests and z tests.

The National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), 2007–2012.

The sample consisted of 16810 respondents aged≥18 years, including 280 individuals who reported not consuming meat, poultry, game birds or seafood on two non-consecutive days of dietary recall. Dietary data were obtained from one dietary recall per individual.

Non-meat eaters had substantially greater HEI-2010 and AHEI-2010 scores than meat eaters (P<0·05). Among non-meat eaters, mean consumption across HEI-2010 quintiles demonstrated different (P<0·05) amounts of empty calories and unsaturated:saturated fatty acids. Mean consumption across AHEI-2010 quintiles demonstrated different (P<0·05) amounts of nuts and legumes, vegetables and PUFA.

Public health messages targeted at vegetarians and others who may choose to eat meat-free on certain days should emphasize decreased consumption of empty calories, and increased consumption of nuts and legumes, PUFA and vegetables, as a way to improve overall dietary quality.

To evaluate the impact on food purchasing behaviour of the ‘Change4Life Smart Swaps’ campaign to encourage families to make small changes to lower-fat or lower-sugar versions of commonly eaten foods and drinks.

Quasi-experimental study comparing the proportion of swaps made by an intervention group (267 families who had signed up to the ‘Smart Swaps’ campaign promoted through various media, including television and radio advertising in early 2014) and a comparison group (135 families resident in Wales, signed up for ‘Change4Life’ materials, but not directly exposed to the ‘Smart Swaps’ campaign). During weeks 1, 2 and 3 of the campaign participants were asked to record their purchases of dairy products, carbonated drinks and breakfast cereals, using a mobile phone app questionnaire, when making a purchase within the category.

England and Wales.

Families registered with ‘Change4Life’.

In weeks 2 and 3 a significantly higher percentage of the intervention group had made ‘smart swaps’ than the comparison group. After week 3, 58 % of participants had swapped to a lower-fat dairy product compared with 26 % of the comparison group (P<0·001), 32 % of the intervention group had purchased a lower-sugar drink compared with 19 % of the comparison group (P=0·01), and 24 % had made a change to a lower-sugar cereal compared with 12 % of the comparison group (P=0·009).

In the short term a national campaign to change purchase habits towards healthier products may have some merit but the sustainability of change requires further investigation.

To identify social, behavioural and cultural factors that explain the thinness of young women relative to their men in rural Maharashtra, India.

Twelve focus group discussions were conducted to explore the villagers' understanding of why women in their area might be thinner than men.

Pabal village and surrounding hamlets, in the Pune district of Maharashtra, India.

Samples of young mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers were selected from families in the village with children below 10 years of age.

Four factors were identified that the villagers felt contributed to the disparity in thinness. First, marriage isolated girls from their own families and villages, and brought the expectation of early motherhood. Young brides were often unable to relax and eat adequately. Second, marriage increased the workload of young women. They were expected to do the heaviest household chores as well as farm work in this predominantly agricultural community. Third, women had no financial autonomy or freedom of movement, and were therefore denied access to supplementary food sources available to men. Fourth, young women felt responsible for their household's health and success. They were encouraged to fast regularly to ensure this. Despite feeling responsible, young women had no control over factors that might affect the household's well being. This made them anxious and worried a great deal of the time.

Interventions to improve the nutritional status of young women in this region need to recognise the roles and responsibilities taken up by young brides.

To determine the prevalence of obesity and body fat distribution of Moroccan women of childbearing age, using a panel of anthropometric measurements.

A cross-sectional survey conducted in 1995 in an agricultural community, El Jadida province of Morocco. Weight, height, waist and hip circumferences and triceps, biceps, subscapular and supra-iliac skinfold thicknesses were measured. Body mass index (BMI), waist/hip ratio (WHR), sum of all and sum of trunk skinfold thicknesses were determined.

In total, 1269 women aged 15–49 years from urban and rural areas were surveyed.

The means of all anthropometric measurements including body fat were higher in urban than in rural women and increased with age. Trunk fat contributed 50% of total fat. Globally, 4.7% of women were underweight (BMI < 18.5 kg m−2), 35.2% were overweight or obese (BMI ≥ 25 kg m−2), 10.1% were obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg m−2) and 16.8% had central obesity (WHR > 0.85). The prevalence of overweight and obesity was higher in the urban than in the rural area. Underweight prevalence decreased with age, whereas that of overweight and obesity increased. All anthropometric parameters adjusted for age increased with the increase of BMI and WHR.

Although undernutrition is still prevalent, there is an alarming prevalence of overweight and obesity in Moroccan women of childbearing age. The results indicate a shift in this country from the problem of dietary deficiency to the problem of dietary excess, and alert one to the necessity of establishing an intervention to prevent obesity-related diseases. It is necessary to address which of the anthropometric variables studied here is the best predictor of obesity-related diseases in this population.

(1) To determine the reliability and validity of a food-frequency questionnaire (FFQ) for use in epidemiological research in postmenopausal women; and (2) to compare the volume estimation (VE) and weight estimation (WE) method of administration of this questionnaire.

An initial list of foods was derived and modified after pre-testing in 22 subjects. Test-retest reliability was assessed in 21 subjects who had repeat administrations of the questionnaire 14 days apart (FFQ1, FFQ2). The validity of the FFQ was assessed by comparing nutrient intakes with those from a 4-day food record.

Chengdu, People's Republic of China.

Twenty-two postmenopausal women (50–70 years) were recruited from The Second University Hospital, West China University of Medical Sciences, Chengdu and participated in the pre-test. Another 21 women (50–70 years) were randomly selected from the general population of all five districts of Chengdu and participated in the reliability and validity sub-studies.

Energy, protein, carbohydrate, magnesium and sodium intakes in this sample were less than the Recommended Dietary Allowances (RDAs) for 45–70-year-old women in China. Intake of non-cooking fat was higher than the Chinese RDA. Pearson correlation coefficients and intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) for reliability of the VE FFQ ranged from 0.51 to 0.85 and from 0.51 to 0.81, respectively; for the WE FFQ, they ranged from 0.22 to 0.86 and from 0.21 to 0.81. Correlation coefficients and ICCs for validity of the WE FFQ ranged from 0.36 to 0.69 and from 0.34 to 0.57, respectively; corresponding values for the VE FFQ were −0.30 to 0.65 and −0.14 to 0.65.

Both the VE and WE FFQs were reliable and valid except for sodium intake. The VE FFQ provided more valid estimates of nutrient intakes than did the WE FFQ.

Pattern analysis has emerged as a tool to depict the role of multiple nutrients/foods in relation to health outcomes. The present study aimed at extracting nutrient patterns with respect to breast cancer (BC) aetiology.

Nutrient patterns were derived with treelet transform (TT) and related to BC risk. TT was applied to twenty-three log-transformed nutrient densities from dietary questionnaires. Hazard ratios (HR) and 95 % confidence intervals computed using Cox proportional hazards models quantified the association between quintiles of nutrient pattern scores and risk of overall BC, and by hormonal receptor and menopausal status. Principal component analysis was applied for comparison.

The European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC).

Women (n 334 850) from the EPIC study.

The first TT component (TC1) highlighted a pattern rich in nutrients found in animal foods loading on cholesterol, protein, retinol, vitamins B12 and D, while the second TT component (TC2) reflected a diet rich in β-carotene, riboflavin, thiamin, vitamins C and B6, fibre, Fe, Ca, K, Mg, P and folate. While TC1 was not associated with BC risk, TC2 was inversely associated with BC risk overall (HRQ5 v. Q1=0·89, 95 % CI 0·83, 0·95, Ptrend<0·01) and showed a significantly lower risk in oestrogen receptor-positive (HRQ5 v. Q1=0·89, 95 % CI 0·81, 0·98, Ptrend=0·02) and progesterone receptor-positive tumours (HRQ5 v. Q1=0·87, 95 % CI 0·77, 0·98, Ptrend<0·01).

TT produces readily interpretable sparse components explaining similar amounts of variation as principal component analysis. Our results suggest that participants with a nutrient pattern high in micronutrients found in vegetables, fruits and cereals had a lower risk of BC.

Obesity prevalence among Chilean children is 19·4 %. The present study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a school-based obesity prevention programme.

Non-randomized controlled study. The intervention included activities in nutrition and physical activity, fully applied the first year and partially in the second one. Primary outcomes were BMI Z-score (BMIZ) and obesity prevalence; secondary outcomes were waist circumference and triceps skinfold thickness. Time effects were assessed by changes in BMI-related variables by gender and period (ANOVA and Tukey test), while intervention effects were determined by comparing changes in (i) obesity prevalence by gender and period (PROC GENMOD) and (ii) BMIZ according gender, age and period (PROC MIXED).

Primary schools in the Chilean cities of Casablanca (intervention group) and Quillota (control group).

One thousand seven hundred and fifty-nine children from three schools (intervention group) and 671 from one school (control group).

Over the two years, obesity prevalence and BMIZ declined significantly in the intervention group; from 17·0 % to 12·3 % and 14·1 % to 10·3 % in boys and girls, respectively, and from 0·62 to 0·53 and 0·64 to 0·58, respectively. In the control group, obesity remained stable at about 21 % and 15 %, while BMIZ increased significantly in the second year. BMIZ declined in both genders and all age categories in the intervention group during the first year (significant only in younger boys). No changes occurred during the summer, while during the second year, BMIZ increased in boys and girls from both groups (significant only in the younger control boys). Obesity declined significantly only in boys during the first year.

Effectiveness was greater in the first school year and more evident in younger boys.

To investigate the proportion of foods that are unhealthy to which children are exposed at the checkout of convenience supermarkets.

We performed a cross-sectional survey of foodstuffs displayed at the checkout. Products displayed at or below children's eye-level were designated as healthy, unhealthy or unclassifiable using the Food Standards Agency's scoring criteria.

Thirteen convenience supermarkets from the three leading UK supermarket chains were selected on the basis of proximity to the town hall in Sheffield, England.

Convenience supermarkets were defined as branches of supermarket chains that were identified as being other than superstores on their company's store locator website.

In almost all of the convenience supermarkets surveyed, the main healthy product on display was sugar-free chewing gum. On average, when chewing gum was not included as a foodstuff, 89% of the products on display at the checkouts of convenience supermarkets were unhealthy using the Food Standards Agency's criteria. One store was a notable outlier, providing only fruit and nuts at its checkout.

The overwhelming majority of products to which children are exposed at the convenience supermarket checkout are unhealthy. This is despite all the supermarket chains surveyed having signed up to the UK Government's ‘responsibility deal’.

Using a nationally representative sample, to identify groups among British children aged 1½; – 4½; years who report similar patterns of diet.

Nationally representative dietary survey, using 4 d weighed dietary records, of girls and boys aged 1½; – 4½; years living in private households in Great Britain in 1992–1993. Cluster analysis was used to aggregate individuals into diet groups.

Great Britain.

Eight hundred and forty-eight boys and 827 girls.

Three clusters were identified for girls and three for boys. Among boys the most prevalent cluster was ‘Healthy Diet’ (52·3 %), the second was ‘Convenience Diet’ (38·3 %) and the third was ‘Traditional Diet’ (9·3 %). Among girls, the most prevalent dietary cluster was ‘Healthy Diet’ (58·7 %), followed by a ‘Convenience Diet’ (36·6 %) and ‘Traditional Diet’ (4·3 %). There were important differences in nutrient profile, sociodemographic and behavioural characteristics between clusters.

Cluster analysis identified three groups among both girls and boys which differed not only in terms of reported dietary intake, but also with respect to nutrient intake, social and behavioural characteristics. The groups identified could provide a useful basis for the development, monitoring and targeting of public health nutrition policy for pre-school children in the UK. Further research is needed on the consequences for chronic disease in the future for these children.

To measure the trends in traditional marine food intake and serum vitamin D levels in Alaska Native women of childbearing age (20–29 years old) from the 1960s to the present.

We measured a biomarker of traditional food intake, the δ15N value, and vitamin D level, as 25-hydroxycholecalciferol (25(OH)D3) concentration, in 100 serum samples from 20–29-year-old women archived in the Alaska Area Specimen Bank, selecting twenty-five per decade from the 1960s to the 1990s. We compared these with measurements of red-blood-cell δ15N values and serum 25(OH)D3 concentrations from 20–29-year-old women from the same region collected during the 2000s and 2010s in a Center for Alaska Native Health Research study.

The Yukon Kuskokwim Delta region of south-west Alaska.

Alaska Native women (n 319) aged 20–29 years at the time of specimen collection.

Intake of traditional marine foods, as measured by serum δ15N values, decreased significantly each decade from the 1960s through the 1990s, then remained constant from the 1990s through the present (F5,306=77·4, P<0·0001). Serum vitamin D concentrations also decreased from the 1960s to the present (F4,162=26·1, P<0·0001).

Consumption of traditional marine foods by young Alaska Native women dropped significantly between the 1960s and the 1990s and was associated with a significant decline in serum vitamin D concentrations. Studies are needed to evaluate the promotion of traditional marine foods and routine vitamin D supplementation during pregnancy for this population.

Supplements are an important source of micronutrient intake, which, unless taken into account, can misclassify individuals with regard to levels of nutrient exposure. A label-based vitamin and mineral supplements (ViMiS) database was developed to contain manufacturers’ information and to enter supplement use by participants in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition in Norfolk (EPIC-Norfolk). The ViMiS database contains information on all ingredients, broken down into nutrient information in order to be combined with nutrient intake derived from food consumption.

Development of the ViMiS database and cross-sectional analysis of supplement use in a population-based study.

Men and women aged 40–79 years from the general population participating in the EPIC-Norfolk study between 1993 and 1997, with data available from 7 d diet diaries (7dDD).

A subset of 19 330 participants with available 7dDD and known supplement status.

To date, the ViMiS database includes 2066 supplements, which altogether contain 16 586 ingredients, with a median of eleven nutrient/ingredients per supplement. Forty per cent of the cohort took a supplement, of which cod liver oil was the most common (24·5 %).

The ViMiS database provides a flexible tool for estimating total nutrient intake. The high prevalence of supplement use in the general population indicates that supplement use needs to be taken into account when examining the relationship of intake of particular nutrients to health outcomes.

The present paper examines the influence of age and gender on food patterns of Latino children.

Data are from baseline of a 5-year, quasi-experimental obesity prevention study: Niños Sanos, Familia Sana (NSFS; Healthy Children, Healthy Families). In 2012, the researchers interviewed Latino parents, using a thirty-item questionnaire to ask about their children’s food consumption and feeding practices. Statistical tests included t tests and ANCOVA.

Rural communities in California’s Central Valley, USA.

Two hundred and seventeen parents (87–89 % born in Mexico) and their children (aged 2–8 years).

Fifty-one per cent of the children were overweight or obese (≥85th percentile of BMI for age and gender). Mean BMI Z-scores were not significantly different in boys (1·10 (sd 1·07)) and girls (0·92 (sd 1·04); P=0·12). In bivariate analysis, children aged 2–4 years consumed fast and convenience foods less often (P=0·04) and WIC (Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children)-allowable foods more often than children aged 5–8 years (P=0·01). In ANCOVA, neither age nor gender was significantly related to food patterns. Mother’s acculturation level was positively related to children’s consumption of fast and convenience foods (P=0·0002) and negatively related to consumption of WIC foods (P=0·01). Providing role modelling and structure in scheduling meals and snacks had a positive effect on the vegetable pattern (P=0·0007), whereas meal skipping was associated with more frequent fast and convenience food consumption (P=0·04).

Acculturation and child feeding practices jointly influence food patterns in Latino immigrant children and indicate a need for interventions that maintain diet quality as children transition to school.

To examine the consumption of plain water among children in France and compare total water intakes with guidelines issued by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA).

Nationally representative data were used to assess food, beverage and water consumption by sex, age group (4–8 years, 9–13 years), income-to-poverty ratio, eating occasion and location. Beverages were classified into nine groups: water (tap or bottled), milk, 100 % fruit juice, sodas, fruit drinks, hot beverages, sports drinks and flavoured waters. Total water volume in relation to energy intake (litres/kcal) was also examined.

INCA 2 study (Étude Individuelle Nationale des Consommations Alimentaires 2006–2007).

French children (n 835) aged 4–13 years.

Total water intakes were accounted for by plain water (34 %), beverages (26 %) and food moisture (40 %). Plain water could be tap (18 %) or bottled (16 %). Older children drank more plain water than did younger children and boys drank more plain water than did girls. No socio-economic gradient for plain water consumption was observed. About 90 % of children did not meet the EFSA water intake recommendations. The daily water shortfall ranged from 367 to 594 ml/d. Water-to-energy ratio was 0·75–0·77 litres/1000 kcal (4184 kJ). Children drank milk at breakfast and plain water during lunch and dinner. Caloric beverages provided 10 % of dietary energy; consumption patterns varied by eating location.

Total water intakes among young children in France were below EFSA-recommended levels. Analyses of beverage consumption patterns by eating occasion and location can help identify ways to increase water consumption among children.

The study aimed to examine nutrition label use and dietary behaviours among ethnically diverse middle- and high-school students, in Texas, USA.

The School Physical Activity and Nutrition (SPAN) survey is a cross-sectional statewide study using a self-administered questionnaire to assess nutrition and physical activity behaviours. Height and weight measurements were used to determine BMI. Multivariable logistic regression was used to determine associations between nutrition label use and dietary behaviours, with gender, grade, ethnicity, BMI, parent education, socio-economic status and nutrition knowledge as covariates.

Participants from 283 schools, weighted to represent Texas youth.

SPAN 2009–2011 included 6716 8th and 11th graders (3465 girls and 3251 boys). The study population consisted of 39·83 % White/Other, 14·61 % African-American and 45·56 % Hispanic adolescents; with a mean age of 14·9 years, and 61·95 % at a healthy weight, 15·71 % having overweight and 22·34 % having obesity.

Adolescents who did not use nutrition labels had 1·69 times greater odds of consuming ≥1 sugary beverages/d (P<0·05). Adolescents who used nutrition labels had 2·13 times greater odds of consuming ≥1 fruits and vegetables/d (P<0·05). Adolescents who used nutrition labels had significantly higher healthy eating scores than those who did not (P<0·001). For every 1-point increase in nutrition knowledge, adolescents had 1·22 greater odds of using nutrition labels.

Nutrition label use is associated with healthier dietary behaviours in adolescents. Intervention strategies for youth should include efforts to teach adolescents to use labels to make healthy food choices.

The present study describes the procedure and approaches needed to adapt and harmonise the GloboDiet methodology, a computer- and interview-based 24 h dietary recall, for use in two Latin American pilot countries, Brazil and Mexico.

About seventy common and country-specific databases on foods, recipes, dietary supplements, quantification methods and coefficients were customised and translated following standardised guidelines, starting from existing Spanish and Portuguese versions.

Brazil and Mexico.

Not applicable.

New subgroups were added into the existing common food classification together with new descriptors required to better classify and describe specific Brazilian and Mexican foods. Quantification methods were critically evaluated and adapted considering types and quantities of food consumed in these two countries, using data available from previous surveys. Furthermore, the photos to be used for quantification purposes were identified for compilation in country-specific but standardised picture booklets.

The completion of the customisation of the GloboDiet Latin America versions in these two pilot countries provides new insights into the adaptability of this dietary international tool to the Latin American context. The ultimate purpose is to enable dietary intake comparisons within and between Latin American countries, support building capacities and foster regional and international collaborations. The development of the GloboDiet methodology could represent a major benefit for Latin America in terms of standardised dietary methodologies for multiple surveillance, research and prevention purposes.

To describe the Nutrition Improvement Programme for Rural Compulsory Education Students (NIPRCES) in China and to share the experiences of developing and implementing nationwide school meal programmes with other countries.

The article is based on a literature review of technical documents and reports of NIPRCES and relevant national legislation, technical reports and studies on school nutrition, minutes of meetings and national conferences, and official documents of the National Office of Student Nutrition and the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention.

People’s Republic of China.

Published papers, national policies, legislation and unpublished official documents.

A total of 23 million rural compulsory education students were covered by NIPRCES. In the development and implementation process of NIPRCES, fifteen ministries and national committees were involved and an efficient collaborative mechanism was established. All NIPRCES-covered schools were required to serve meals on a daily basis. By the end of June 2012, the proportions of students choosing ‘school feeding’, ‘food package’ and ‘family feeding’ modes were respectively 64·0 %, 32·0 % and 4·0 %. The central government subsidized school meals annually by more than $US 2·5 billion and invested $US 4·8 billion on school kitchens to support this programme.

The NIPRCES is a significant movement of governmental nutritional intervention in China. Food safety, financial security, decentralization and other potential concerns should be considered and lessons can be learned from other countries. Further relevant research and a nationwide monitoring and evaluation programme are needed.

The purpose of the present study was to examine the influence of maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and gestational weight gain (GWG) on initiation and duration of infant breast-feeding in a prospective birth cohort study.

Breast-feeding information was collected at 1, 3, 6 and 12 months postpartum. The association of pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG with delayed lactogenesis II and termination of exclusive breast-feeding was assessed with logistic regression analysis. The risk of early termination of any breast-feeding during the first year postpartum was assessed with Cox proportional hazards models.

Urban city in China.

Women with infants from the Ma’anshan Birth Cohort Study (n 3196).

The median duration of any breast-feeding in this cohort was 7·0 months. Pre-pregnancy obese women had higher risks of delayed lactogenesis II (risk ratio=1·89; 95 % CI 1·04, 3·43) and early termination of any breast-feeding (hazard ratio=1·38; 95 % CI 1·09, 1·75) adjusted for potential maternal and infant confounders, when compared with normal-weight women. No differences in breast-feeding initiation or duration of exclusive breast-feeding according to pre-pregnancy BMI were found. Moreover, GWG was not associated with any poor breast-feeding outcomes.

The present study indicated that pre-pregnancy obesity increases the risks of delayed lactogenesis II and early termination of any breast-feeding in Chinese women.

To estimate the prevalence of online grocery shopping in a nationally representative sample and describe demographic correlates with online grocery shopping.

The Nielsen COVID-19 Shopper Behavior Survey was administered to a subset of Nielsen National Consumer Panel participants in July 2020. We used survey weighted-multivariable logistic regression to examine demographic correlates of having ever online grocery shopped.

Online survey.

18 598 Nielsen National Consumer Panel participants in the USA.

Thirty-nine percent of respondents had purchased groceries online, and among prior purchasers, 89 % indicated that they would continue to online grocery shop in the next month. Canned/packaged foods were the most shopped for grocery category online, followed by beverages, fresh foods and lastly frozen foods. In adjusted analyses, younger respondents (39 years or less) were more likely (47 %) to have ever shopped for groceries online than older age groups (40–54 years, 55–64 years and 65+ years) (29 %, 22 % and 23 %, respectively, all P < 0·001). Those with greater than a college degree were more likely to have ever grocery shopped online (45 %) than respondents with some college education (39 %) and with a high school education or less (32 %) (both P < 0·001). Having children, having a higher income and experiencing food insecurity, particularly among higher income food-insecure households, were also associated with a higher probability of prior online grocery shopping.

The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated the transition to online grocery shopping. Future research should explore the nutrition implications of online grocery shopping.

To explore socio-economic differences in use of staff canteens and whether frequent use of staff canteens is associated with different food patterns and obesity.

Cross-sectional study using three self-administered questionnaires, two of them including food frequency questions. Factor analysis was used to explore food patterns.

Oslo, Norway, 2000–2001.

In total 8943 adult, working Oslo citizens.

Frequent (≥3 times/week) use of staff canteens was most likely among men, younger workers and those in the highest education and income groups. However, after adjustment for demographic, socio-economic and lifestyle factors, those with highest education were least likely to use staff canteens frequently. Frequent eating in staff canteens was positively associated with a Western food pattern (based on fat-rich food, fast food and red meat) and inversely associated with a traditional food pattern (based on boiled potatoes and gravy, and less rice, pasta and oil) in multivariate analyses. Unadjusted, frequent eating in staff canteens was also inversely associated with a prudent food pattern (based on fruit, vegetables, fish, legumes and oil). The likelihood of being obese (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2) increased significantly with frequent eating in staff canteens, also when adjusted for demographic and socio-economic variables. Adjustment for the food patterns attenuated this relationship, but it was still significant.

Frequent eating in staff canteens was negatively related to socio-economic position and positively associated with unhealthy dietary habits. This partly explained higher odds for obesity among frequent users of staff canteens. Future research should assess the availability and food options of staff canteens.