Measuring the association between the opening of a new multi-national restaurant with young people's eating behaviours

Helen J Moore, Claire L O'Malley, Scott Lloyd, Fatemeh Eskandari, Kelly Rose, Mark Butler, Tim G Townshend, Heather Brown, Daniel Clarkson, Amelia A Lake

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Out-of-home eating (takeaway, take-out and fast-foods) is associated with intakes of higher energy and fat, and lower intakes of micronutrients, and is associated with excess weight gain. In 2017, a unique opportunity arose to measure the association between the opening of a new multi-national fast-food restaurant (McDonald's) and consumption of fast-food on young people aged 11-16. This study uses a repeated cross-sectional design to explore group level change over time with respect to out-of-home eating behaviours of young people. Two secondary schools in Redcar and Cleveland agreed to participate and facilitated the completion of a questionnaire on their pupils eating behaviours at three timepoints a) prior to the new restaurant opening, b) three months post-opening and c) nine months post opening. Reported frequency of visits to McDonald's showed a statistically significant increase in visits between 3 and 9 months of the restaurant opening. This research asks and explores the question of whether the introduction of a new multi-national fast-food restaurant influences eating habits of young people attending schools near the new outlet.

Original languageEnglish
Article number107651
Pages (from-to)107651
JournalAppetite
Volume203
Early online date30 Aug 2024
DOIs
Publication statusE-pub ahead of print - 30 Aug 2024

Bibliographical note

Copyright © 2024. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

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