Household availability of ultra-processed foods and obesity in nineteen European countries
Monteiro CA, Moubarac JC, Levy RB, Canella DS, Louzada MLDC, Cannon G
Public health nutrition · 315 citations
How it was studied
- Design
- Cross-sectional study (indexed by PubMed)
- Studied in
- People
- Main outcome
- Health markers and function
- Intake measured by
- Not stated
Who paid for it
- Funding
- Independent funding
- Government
- Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo
- Government
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico
- Grants
- Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico (2014‐0); Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (2015/); Fundação de Amparo à Pesquisa do Estado de São Paulo (15/14900-9)
Based on 2 listed funder(s).
Publication
- Published
- 2017-07-17 · Public Health Nutr · vol. 21 · issue 1 · pp. 18–26
- Publisher
- Cambridge University Press
- Cited
- 574 citations · more than 100% of similar papers · 44.2× the field average
- Impact
- Top 10% most cited in its field
- References
- 55 works
- Access
- Free to read
- Research areas
- Consumer Attitudes and Food Labeling · Nutrition, Genetics, and Disease · Health, Technology, Consumer Behavior
- Keywords
- Environmental health, Obesity, Medicine, Consumption (sociology), Food processing, Nutrition transition, Cross-sectional study, Public health, Geography, Business, Overweight, Food science, Biology
- MeSH
- humans, obesity, exercise, diet, nutrition surveys, prevalence, cross-sectional studies, family characteristics, nutritive value, food handling, food supply, adolescent, adult, aged, middle aged, child, child, preschool, infant, rural population, europe, female, male, young adult, fast foods, sedentary behavior
6 authors
From BR, CA
- Carlos Augusto Monteiro · correspondingUniversidade de São Paulo
- Jean‐Claude MoubaracUniversidade de São Paulo; Université de Montréal
- Renata Bertazzi LevyUniversidade de São Paulo
- Daniela Silva CanellaUniversidade de São Paulo; Universidade do Estado do Rio de Janeiro
- Maria Laura da Costa LouzadaUniversidade de São Paulo
- Geoffrey CannonUniversidade de São Paulo
Abstract
Objective
To assess household availability of NOVA food groups in nineteen European countries and to analyse the association between availability of ultra-processed foods and prevalence of obesity.
Design
Ecological, cross-sectional study.
Setting
Europe.
Subjects
Estimates of ultra-processed foods calculated from national household budget surveys conducted between 1991 and 2008. Estimates of obesity prevalence obtained from national surveys undertaken near the budget survey time.
Results
Across the nineteen countries, median average household availability amounted to 33·9 % of total purchased dietary energy for unprocessed or minimally processed foods, 20·3 % for processed culinary ingredients, 19·6 % for processed foods and 26·4 % for ultra-processed foods. The average household availability of ultra-processed foods ranged from 10·2 % in Portugal and 13·4 % in Italy to 46·2 % in Germany and 50·4 % in the UK. A significant positive association was found between national household availability of ultra-processed foods and national prevalence of obesity among adults. After adjustment for national income, prevalence of physical inactivity, prevalence of smoking, measured or self-reported prevalence of obesity, and time lag between estimates on household food availability and obesity, each percentage point increase in the household availability of ultra-processed foods resulted in an increase of 0·25 percentage points in obesity prevalence.
Conclusions
The study contributes to a growing literature showing that the consumption of ultra-processed foods is associated with an increased risk of diet-related non-communicable diseases. Its findings reinforce the need for public policies and actions that promote consumption of unprocessed or minimally processed foods and make ultra-processed foods less available and affordable.
Abstract via Europe PMC. Copyright remains with the authors or publisher.
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