The Influence of Home Food Environments on Eating Behaviors of Overweight and Obese Women

Objective: To describe home food environments and examine which aspects are associated with fruit and vegetable intake and percent calories from fat among overweight and obese women.

Design: Baseline data from a weight gain prevention trial collected through telephone interviews.

Setting: Participants were recruited from 3 federally qualified health centers in rural Georgia.

Participants: Overweight and obese patients (n = 319) were referred by their providers if they had a body mass index (BMI) > 25 and lived with at least 1 other person. Participants were primarily African American (83.7%), with a mean BMI of 38.4.

Main Outcome Measures: Fruit and vegetable intake and percent calories from fat.

Analysis: Descriptive statistics and multiple regression.

Results: Participants reported a large variety of both fruits and vegetables and unhealthy foods in their homes, and an average of 2.6 family meals from non-home sources per week. Eating family meals with the television on was common. Availability of fruits and vegetables in the home (P < .001) and frequency of fruit shopping (P = .01) were associated with fruit and vegetable intake. The number of unhealthy foods in the home (P = .01) and food preparation methods (P = .01) were associated with percent calories from fat.

Conclusions And Implications: Home food environments may be effective intervention targets for nutrition programs designed for overweight and obese women.