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- Title
Household availability of ultra-processed foods and obesity in nineteen European countries.
- Authors
Monteiro, Carlos Augusto; Moubarac, Jean-Claude; Levy, Renata Bertazzi; Canella, Daniela Silva; da Costa Louzada, Maria Laura; Cannon, Geoffrey; Louzada, Maria Laura da Costa
- Abstract
<bold>Objective: </bold>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.<bold>Design: </bold>Ecological, cross-sectional study.<bold>Setting: </bold>Europe.<bold>Subjects: </bold>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.<bold>Results: </bold>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.<bold>Conclusions: </bold>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.
- Subjects
EUROPE; PROCESSED foods; OBESITY; HOUSEHOLD budgets; FOOD habits; FOOD industry; CONVENIENCE foods; DIET; EXERCISE; FAMILIES; FOOD handling; FOOD supply; RURAL population; SURVEYS; DISEASE prevalence; CROSS-sectional method; SEDENTARY lifestyles; NUTRITIONAL value
- Publication
Public Health Nutrition, 2018, Vol 21, Issue 1, p18
- ISSN
1368-9800
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1017/S1368980017001379