Eating at Fast-Food Restaurants and Dietary Quality in Low-Income Pregnant Women

2010 ◽  
Vol 33 (5) ◽  
pp. 630-651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eileen R. Fowles ◽  
Gayle M. Timmerman ◽  
Miranda Bryant ◽  
SungHun Kim
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Dietary Quality ◽  
Fast Food Restaurants

scholarly journals Fast-food menu offerings vary in dietary quality, but are consistently poor

2013 ◽  
Vol 17 (4) ◽  
pp. 924-931 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sharon I Kirkpatrick ◽  
Jill Reedy ◽  
Lisa L Kahle ◽  
Jennifer L Harris ◽  
Punam Ohri-Vachaspati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Poor Quality ◽  
Whole Grains ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
Dietary Quality ◽  
Food Chains ◽  
Added Sugars ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Fast Food Restaurants

AbstractObjectiveTo evaluate five popular fast-food chains’ menus in relation to dietary guidance.DesignMenus posted on chains’ websites were coded using the Food and Nutrient Database for Dietary Studies and MyPyramid Equivalents Database to enable Healthy Eating Index-2005 (HEI-2005) scores to be assigned. Dollar or value and kids’ menus and sets of items promoted as healthy or nutritious were also assessed.SettingFive popular fast-food chains in the USA.SubjectsNot applicable.ResultsFull menus scored lower than 50 out of 100 possible points on the HEI-2005. Scores for Total Fruit, Whole Grains and Sodium were particularly dismal. Compared with full menus, scores on dollar or value menus were 3 points higher on average, whereas kids’ menus scored 10 points higher on average. Three chains marketed subsets of items as healthy or nutritious; these scored 17 points higher on average compared with the full menus. No menu or subset of menu items received a score higher than 72 out of 100 points.ConclusionsThe poor quality of fast-food menus is a concern in light of increasing away-from-home eating, aggressive marketing to children and minorities, and the tendency for fast-food restaurants to be located in low-income and minority areas. The addition of fruits, vegetables and legumes; replacement of refined with whole grains; and reformulation of offerings high in sodium, solid fats and added sugars are potential strategies to improve fast-food offerings. The HEI may be a useful metric for ongoing monitoring of fast-food menus.

scholarly journals Predictors of Dietary Quality in Low-Income Pregnant Women

2011 ◽  
Vol 60 (5) ◽  
pp. 286-294 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eileen R. Fowles ◽  
Miranda Bryant ◽  
SungHun Kim ◽  
Lorraine O. Walker ◽  
Roberta Jeanne Ruiz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Dietary Quality

scholarly journals Dietary Quality of Pregnant Women Participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (16) ◽  
pp. 8370
Author(s):  
Arezoo Rojhani ◽  
Ping Ouyang ◽  
Angel Gullon-Rivera ◽  
Taylor Marie Dale
Keyword(s):  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Healthy Eating Index ◽  
Infants And Children ◽  
Dietary Quality ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition ◽  
Nutrition Program ◽  
Food Records ◽  
Supplemental Nutrition Program

Few studies have examined the dietary intake of low-income pregnant women participating in the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). The aim of this study was to assess the dietary quality of WIC-enrolled pregnant women and examine associations with maternal characteristics, nutrition knowledge, and key health indicators. Fifty-one WIC-enrolled pregnant women completed two sets of 3-day food records. Food records were analyzed for nutrient content, and diet quality was assessed using the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015. Since an HEI score of less than 60 is indicative of the need to improve dietary quality, participants’ HEI scores were divided into two categories: <60 and ≥60. The total mean HEI score of the cohort based on analysis of the first set of food records was 59.1 ± 12.5 (range 37.1–89.2), while the mean score for the second 3 days of food records was 56.8 ± 12.7 (range 30.0–89.0). The majority of participants did not consume the minimum recommended servings of whole vegetables. Those in the <60 HEI category consumed on average less than 50% of the recommended servings of whole fruits and whole grains. The diets of the majority of participants were high in saturated fat and sodium. More than one-third did not meet the recommendations for folate and iron intake, while less than half met the RDA for vitamin D. Choline intake was insufficient based on analysis of the first 3 days of food records. Our results indicate that the dietary quality of WIC-enrolled pregnant women requires improvement.

Exploring Relationships Among Psychosocial Status, Dietary Quality, and Measures of Placental Development During the First Trimester in Low-Income Women

2010 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 70-79 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eileen R. Fowles ◽  
Christina Murphey ◽  
Roberta Jeanne Ruiz
Keyword(s):  
Growth Factor ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Emotional Eating ◽  
Vegetable Intake ◽  
Negative Relationship ◽  
First Trimester ◽  
Dietary Quality ◽  
Placental Development ◽  
Cross Sectional

Purpose: To examine the relationships between maternal psychosocial factors and dietary quality and explore the relationships among dietary quality and selected biomarkers of nutrition and placental development. Method: A cross-sectional design in 18 low-income, pregnant women. Results: Partner support was positively related to vegetable intake (r = .54) and negatively related to intake of iron (r = -.68) and grains (r = -.67). Emotional eating in response to anger was negatively related to intake of iron-(r /it> = -.53) and folate-rich (r = -.75) foods, and emotional eating in response to anxiety was negatively related to intake of folate-rich foods (r = -.51). Depressed women had an increased intake of calcium-rich foods (r = .60). Levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) were negatively related to depression (r = -.56) and intake of foods high in calcium (r = -.53) and iron (r = -.34) but positively related to serum calcium levels (r = .60). VEGF was negatively relationship to soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1; r = -.56). Placental growth factor had a negative relationship with maternal serum levels of albumin (r = -.61) and calcium (r = -.65). Conclusions: Low-income pregnant women who eat to cope with anger and anxiety may have an inadequate intake of nutrients that contribute to positive pregnancy outcomes. Placental development in the early weeks of pregnancy may be influenced by maternal psychosocial and nutritional status. More research is needed to explore the relationship of dietary quality and placental development in the first trimester of pregnancy.

Food Environment and Health

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jason Block ◽  
Michael Seward ◽  
Peter James
Keyword(s):  
Low Income ◽  
Food Environment ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Research Field ◽  
Environment And Health ◽  
Fast Food Restaurants ◽  
Methodological Approaches ◽  
Obesity Hypertension ◽  
The Relationship

This chapter provides an overview of research on the relationships between food establishments, including supermarkets, fast food restaurants, and others, and diet and health outcomes, including obesity, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes. This chapter presents mechanisms underlying these potential relationships, explains different methodological approaches to research on this topic, discusses how relationships between the food environment and outcomes might differ across populations (e.g., children, low-income individuals) and geographies (e.g., urban and rural geographies), and identifies strengths, limitations, and barriers to this research field. This chapter also reviews literature on the relationship between the alcohol environment and health and describes novel approaches to examining the food environment.

scholarly journals The Effect of Fast Food Restaurants on Obesity and Weight Gain

2010 ◽  
Vol 2 (3) ◽  
pp. 32-63 ◽  
Author(s):  
Janet Currie ◽  
Stefano DellaVigna ◽  
Enrico Moretti ◽  
Vikram Pathania
Keyword(s):  
Weight Gain ◽  
Pregnant Women ◽  
Fast Food ◽  
Caloric Intake ◽  
Ninth Graders ◽  
Fast Food Restaurant ◽  
Percent Increase ◽  
Weight Outcomes ◽  
Order Of Magnitude ◽  
Fast Food Restaurants

We investigate how changes in the supply of fast food restaurants affect weight outcomes of 3 million children and 3 million pregnant women. Among ninth graders, a fast food restaurant within 0.1 miles of a school results in a 5.2 percent increase in obesity rates. Among pregnant women, a fast-food restaurant within 0.5 miles of residence results in a 1.6 percent increase in the probability of gaining over 20 kilos. The implied effects on caloric intake are one order of magnitude larger for children than for mothers, consistent with smaller travel cost for adults. Non-fast food restaurants and future fast-food restaurants are uncorrelated with weight outcomes. (JEL I12, J13, J16, L83)

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