Obesity Abstracts

Background: Evidence suggests that the diet quality of children consuming school meals tends to be better than that of children consuming packed lunches or food brought from outside school. This study aims to investigate the association between the types of lunch consumed in a school day and diet quality of UK adolescents.Methods: 2118 British adolescents were included from the National Diet and Nutrition Survey (Years 1–8). All participants were ag...

Background: The location of takeaway food shops is becoming increasingly studied in the UK with growing concerns around diet and obesity. UK planning policies to limit takeaways have been poorly thought out compared to other countries. There are no standardised measures used to measure the food environment around homes, schools, work or any other facilities. This study aims to examine the differences in using different methods to evaluate the food environment particularly arou...

Background: Evidence-based studies have consistently reported differences in food choices, preferences, and intake in adults based on taste genotype, which may have a potential impact on health. However, the corresponding evidence on adolescents gets less attention. Understanding more about influences on food choice could support healthier diets and weight status in adolescents.Objective: Our aim is to identify and review evidence investigating the impac...

Background: A diet based on fresh fruit, vegetables, and whole grains (‘FVG’) promotes healthy weight. However, few UK children consume the recommended quantity or variety. Dislike, especially for vegetables, is a major barrier to intake, and changing preferences is difficult. Our project will test effects of sensory food education in primary schools on willingness-to-taste (‘WTT’) FVG, as tasting is a necessary precursor of liking and dietary inclusion. Me...

Background: Assessing dietary intake is fundamental in providing quantification of consumed nutrients, which helps in evaluating nutritional status. Gulf countries, including Kuwait, United Arab Emirates (UAE), and Saudi Arabia, have been reported to have the highest prevalence of overweight and obesity in the world. However, food composition data for Middle-Eastern foods are limited, which emphasises the need for a comprehensive food composition database.<p class="abstext...