Title: Consumption of meals prepared away from home is related to the inadequacy of dietary fibre and minerals intake among Japanese adults aged 18-64 years: analysis from the 2015 National Health and Nutrition Survey
Abstract: Abstract Background: Consumption of home-prepared meals may lead to better nutritional intake. Few studies have examined the association between the frequency of consuming meals prepared away from home and the adequacy of nutritional intake based on nutritional standards. We therefore aimed to investigate this issue among Japanese adults. Methods: This study was a secondary analysis of the 2015 National Health and Nutrition Survey in Japan, involving 921 men and 1300 women aged 18–64 years, conducted as a cross-sectional survey. The frequency of consuming meals prepared away from home was defined using two questions inquiring about the frequency of eating out and take-away meals. Data on dietary intake were collected using a one-day semi-weighed household dietary record. The inadequacy of each nutrient intake was assessed by comparing estimated average requirement (EAR) level for 14 nutrients and the range of the dietary goal (DG) for seven nutrients according to the 2015 version of the Dietary Reference Intake for Japanese. Participants were stratified into three groups based on the frequency of consumption of home-prepared meals. Group differences in nutrients inadequacy were assessed using the covariate and logistic regression analysis, respectively. Results: The proportion of participants who consumed home-prepared meals almost every day were 34.9% among men and 46.8% among women, and the proportion of those rarely consuming were 14.7% and 6.3%, respectively.A higher frequency of consuming meals prepared away from home was associated with lower intake and adequacy of dietary fiber and minerals (iron, calcium, potassium etc.), and with lower intake of vegetables and lower intake of oils. Conclusions: High frequency of consuming meals prepared away from home was associated with insufficient intake of dietary fiber and multiple mineral intakes among Japanese adults. Dietary fiber and mineral intake may be the potential target of interventions aimed at improving nutrient intake in individuals who predominantly eat food prepared away from home.