Out-of-home eating frequency, causal attribution of obesity and support to healthy eating policies from a cross-European survey

Background: The relation between the increased out-of-home food consumption and the rising of overweight and obesity prevalence rates has been widely assessed, and the key role played by the catering sector in ensuring healthy food choices has been recognised. Governments’ healthy eating policies have a wide range of action, influencing consumer behavior, and the socioeconomic and food environments, with specific interventions for the catering sector. Information on the public support for policies could help planning decisions. This study aims to investigate the relationship of out-ofhome eating frequency with beliefs about obesity causes, support to healthy eating policies, and with sociodemographic factors. Methods: Data on 3003 individuals from Belgium, Denmark, Italy, Poland and United Kingdom, ofboth sexes, aged ≥16 years, were employed from the European survey on policy preferences (Eatwell).Data were analysed through Chi-square test and logistic regression analysis. Results: Respect to UK respondents, Italians were more likely to eat out at lunch and dinner, and 60% less likely to eat pre-packaged meals; Belgians less likely to eat fast food (61%) and pre-packaged meals (36%); Polish less likely to eat pre-packaged meals (41%); Danish less likely (about 50%) to eat out for dinner and to eat convenience food. Females were less likely to eat out at lunch (31%), and to eat pre-packaged meals (41%). Younger people were more than 4 times as likely to eat out at lunch as the elderly, and about 3 times as likely to eat out at dinner and eat convenience food. Those attributing obesity to genetics were twice as likely to eat convenience food. Attributing obesity to lack of willpower was associated with reduced likelihood to eat fast food (64%) and to eat ready meals (52%). Attributions of obesity to lack of time, and to lack of self-control were associated with increased likelihood to consume fast-food (95%) and pre-packaged meals (85%) respectively. Out-of-home eating people expressed higher support for information-based prevention, and actions aimed at healthier out-of-home eating, and lower support for restrictions and regulations of the food supply environment. ConclusionS: Future research on out-of-home food consumers and their support towards public interventions for the catering sector, could have important implications for effective strategies to promote healthy eating.