Consuming outside food [known as “Food-away-from-home (FAFH)] is a common ‘eating behavior’ seen across nations. Though considered more common in developed nations, this behavior has shown a marked (~50%) surge in developing countries such as South Africa, India, and Mexico. With an increase in online food delivery, access to FAFH has become easier. Such foods are known to be energy-dense, with high fat, added sugar, and high sodium and decrease the consumption of whole grains, and the number of servings of vegetables and milk.1 Hence, FAFH is linked to high energy intake, poor diet quality, and elevated obesity risk.2
Though there is data substantiating the high prevalence of FAFH in high-income countries (HICs), evidence on the prevalence of FAFH and its associated individual characteristics in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) is limited. To address this knowledge gap, a pooled cross-sectional individual-level datasets on 280,265 individuals aged over 18 years from 65 countries was conducted between 2009 and 2021. For the purpose of the study, FAFH was defined as the number of meals (breakfast, lunch, and dinner) eaten in an average week that were not prepared at home. A 7-day self-reported recall data was collected and regression analysis was carried out, adjusting for sex, age, education, employment, marital status, BMI, wealth quintile, and urban/rural residence.
It was observed that the prevalence of global FAFH consumption was 47.4%, with a prevalence of 30.1% in the low-income countries (LICs) and 83.4% in the HICs. Consumption of FAFH was consistently associated with being male, younger, unmarried, employed, and having a higher education across income groups. FAFH was linked to affluence in the LICs and was a common behavioural norm in HICs. FAFH consumption was a consistent driver of obesity across economic contexts. This necessitates urgent public health interventions for obesity prevention globally.2
(Source: 1. Godbharle, S., Jeyakumar, A., Giri, B.R. et al. Pooled prevalence of food away from home (FAFH) and associated non-communicable disease (NCD) markers: A systematic review and meta-analysis. J Health Popul Nutr. 2022;41:55. https://doi.org/10.1186/s41043-022-00335-5; 2. Sulola MA, Theilmann M, Global Health And Population Project On Access To Care For Cardiometabolic Diseases (HPACC) Collaborators, Yoo SGK, Flood D, Bärnighausen T, Marcus ME, Goehler JM, Vollmer S. Global patterns of food-away-from-home consumption: A cross-sectional study of nationally representative surveys from 65 countries. Poster presented at the 33rd European Congress on Obesity, May 12–15, 2026. Istanbul, Türkiye. ECO 2026 Abstract:0772.)