The influence of frequent consumption of foods-away-from-home on the total diet quality and weight status among faculty and staff.

Abstract

Objective: To assess the dietary quality and determine the influence of food-away-from-home (FAFH) on dietary quality and weight status among faculty and staff. Participants and methods: Faculty and staff (n\u2009=\u2009152) from a public university completed an online Food Frequency Questionnaire. Number of FAFH consumed per week, dietary intakes, dietary quality as assessed by the Healthy Eating Index (HEI)-2015, and body mass index (BMI) were measured. Results: On average participants consumed FAFH four times per week. FAFH was associated with increased intake of trans-fats (p\u2009<\u20090.05) and reduced HEI scores (p\u2009<\u20090.01). Increased consumption of trans-fats was associated with a high BMI (p\u2009<\u20090.001). Conversely, an increase in the HEI-2015 score was associated with a reduction in BMI (p\u2009<\u20090.05). Conclusion: Results suggest that the consumption of FAFH increased the intake of trans-fats and decreased diet quality, while improvements in diet quality, as measured by the HEI-score, were associated with reduced BMI among faculty and staff.