Eating out at restaurants and fast-food establishments instead of preparing meals at home is linked to weight gain and obesity in both wealthy and poorer nations.
Food prepared outside the home is often more heavily processed and contains higher levels of salt, sugar and unhealthy fats, contributing to greater calorie intake and a higher body mass index.
For the study, presented at the European Congress on Obesity, German researchers pooled data from health surveys conducted in 65 countries involving 2,80,265 adults.
Globally, 47 per cent of people eat out at least once a week. The numbers vary widely by region, ranging from 26 per cent in Southeast Asia to 81 per cent in the Americas and 36 per cent in Central Europe.
People in high-income countries eat out three times more often on average than those in poorer countries. However, among those who eat out at least once a week, the average frequency is fairly similar—about 4.4 meals per week in high-income countries compared with 3.5 meals in low-income countries.
“While eating out appears to be a marker of affluence in low-income countries, it has become the norm in high-income countries,” the lead researcher said.
Across all countries, men, younger adults, single individuals, employed people and those with higher levels of education tended to eat out more frequently.
Importantly, the researchers found a strong link between eating out and obesity. In low-income countries, people with obesity ate food away from home 39 per cent more often than those with a normal weight, while overweight individuals did so 28 per cent more often. In lower-middle-income countries, people with obesity ate out 20 per cent more frequently.
The researchers concluded that as eating out continues to increase globally, public health efforts should focus on the out-of-home food sector as a key area for preventing obesity worldwide.
