The energy density of meals and snacks consumed by young Australian adults (18–30 years old) are influenced by preparation location but not screen use nor social interactions: findings from the MYMeals wearable camera study

Abstract

The present study examined the association of contextual factors (social and food preparation location) with the energy density of meals and snacks consumed in a sample of young Australian adults (18-30 years old) identified using wearable camera technology. Over three consecutive days, a subsample of young adults wore a wearable camera that captured images in 30 s intervals. Eating episodes from 133 participants were annotated for preparation location and social context (covering social interaction and screen use). Over the same period, participants completed daily 24 h recalls. The nutritional composition of meals and snacks was calculated by matching the items identified in the camera to the 24 h recall using time and date stamps. Self-reported data (weight and height) was used to calculate body mass index and (residential postcode) to assign socio-economic status. The association of context and demographic factors with energy density was determined using a mixed linear regression model employing the bootstrap method with bias-corrected and accelerated. In total, 1817 eating episodes were included in the analysis (n 8 preparation unclear and n 15 food components could not be identified excluded). Food prepared within the home was 1⋅1 kJ/g less energy-dense than other preparation locations. Lunches (CI −1⋅7 to −0⋅3) and dinners (CI −1⋅6 to −0⋅5) were both 1⋅0 kJ/g lower in energy density than breakfasts. Snacks were 3⋅5 kJ/g (CI 2⋅8-4⋅1) more energy-dense than breakfasts. Food prepared outside the home and food consumption during snacking appear to be adversely contributing to energy-dense food intake.

Young Australian Adults Prefer Video Posts for Dissemination of Nutritional Information over the Social Media Platform Instagram: A Pilot Cross-Sectional Survey

“…The content of these posts was guided by the key findings of the wearable camera MYMeals sub-study as well as the larger study of 1001 young adults to ensure that the observed needs of this population were targeted, which are, in summary, to assist food choice when consuming food prepared outside the home and to consume fewer energy-dense snacks. The posts covered: (i) snacking behaviors (four sets of three posts) [ 9 ] and (ii) consuming food prepared outside the home (four sets of three posts) [ 8 , 9 ]. However, one of the key objectives of this study was to examine the preferred delivery vehicle of nutritional information.…”

“…Analysis of a subsample of the MYMeals study identified that food prepared outside the home environment was more likely to consist of “unhealthy” discretionary items than food prepared within the home [ 8 ]. It was also found that food prepared outside the home and snacks in particular were more energy-dense than those prepared within the home and all other meal types [ 9 ].…”

Thermal Performance of Staggered Bare Tube Bank Heat Exchanger as Air Pre-Heater for Seaweed Convective Dryer

“…The Nusselt number represents a measure of convection heat transfer compared to conductive heat transfer, which is evaluated based on the Zukauskas correlation using equation (5), which is obtained from [104]:…”

“…Energy is required for several practical functions, including transportation [1][2][3], mobility [4], food preparation [5], water purification [6], communication [7], and others [8]. Population and global economic expansion have contributed to increased energy use over time, with end-use energy efficiency gradually increasing with technological advances and energy efficiency legislation.…”