Outcomes of Home-Prepared Food Consumption Following a 16-week Internet-Based Weight Loss Intervention
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Date
2018-04-27
Authors
Hlavka, Reid R
Journal Title
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Publisher
East Carolina University
Abstract
Research has shown that fast food, restaurants, and other away-from-home food sources are associated with a higher intake of calories, saturated fat, total fat, and an increased body mass index (BMI). Despite this, there has been a continuous shift from foods prepared at home to away-from-home sources with approximately one-third of daily energy intake stemming from fast-food outlets and restaurants. Alternatively, research has shown that increased food preparation is associated with an increased likelihood of meeting dietary objectives, improved overall health and survival, and decreased BMI. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to examine the association among home-prepared meal consumption outside of the home and weight outcomes following a 16-week, self-administered weight loss intervention using ecological momentary assessment. Further, this study also examined individual differences (i.e., health consciousness, food/health literacy, motivations, barriers) associated with home-food preparation behaviors. Forty-seven participants (79.6% female, 59.2% Caucasian) enrolled in a 16-week, self-administered online weight loss intervention. Participants completed baseline measures during the initial orientation to the intervention, as well as ecological momentary assessments of dietary behaviors during the first two weeks of the intervention. Correlational analyses examined the relationship among weight loss, home-prepared food consumption, health consciousness, and health literacy. Paired-sample t-tests and hierarchical linear modeling examined perceptions related home-prepared food consumption while analyses of variance were used to examine motivations and barriers related to home-prepared food consumption. The relationship between weight loss and health consciousness, health literacy, and home-prepared food consumption did not meet the conventional standards of statistical significance. There was, however, as moderate effect size (r = -.455, p =.077) between home-prepared food consumption and weight loss. Individuals demonstrated greater perceptions of goal consistency, diet success, and diet maintenance during eating episodes when consuming home-prepared food, though overall consumption of home-prepared food did not predict feelings of success and maintenance with one's diet. Saving money and eating healthier appeared to be the greatest motivators to consuming home-prepared food, while time constraints and social interactions pose the greatest barriers to preparing and consuming home-made food. The results of this study suggest that consumption of home-made food may be a successful predictor of weight loss following an internet-based self-help weight loss intervention. Further research on behaviors and perceptions related to food preparation with a larger and more diverse sample is needed to determine the utility of these factors in future weight loss interventions.
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Keywords
Food Preparation