title: Contribution of psychosocial factors to the association between socioeconomic position and takeaway food consumption.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine whether psychosocial factors mediate (explain) the association between socioeconomic position and takeaway food consumption.
  
  
  METHODS
  A cross-sectional postal survey conducted in 2009.
  
  
  METHODS
  Participants reported their usual consumption of 22 takeaway food items, and these were grouped into a "healthy" and "less healthy" index based on each items' nutritional properties. Principal Components Analysis was used to derive three psychosocial scales that measured beliefs about the relationship between diet and health (α = 0.73), and perceptions about the value (α = 0.79) and pleasure (α = 0.61) of takeaway food. A nutrition knowledge index was also used. Socioeconomic position was measured by highest attained education level.
  
  
  METHODS
  Randomly selected adults (n = 1,500) aged between 25-64 years in Brisbane, Australia (response rate  =  63.7%, N = 903).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Compared with those with a bachelor degree or higher, participants with a diploma level of education were more likely to consume "healthy" takeaway food (p = 0.023) whereas the least educated (high school only) were more likely to consume "less healthy" choices (p = 0.002). The least educated were less likely to believe in a relationship between diet and health (p<0.001), and more likely to have lower nutritional knowledge compared with their highly educated counterparts (p<0.001). Education differences in beliefs about the relationship between diet and health partly and significantly mediated the association between education and "healthy" takeaway food consumption. Diet- and health-related beliefs and nutritional knowledge partly and significantly mediated the education differences in "less healthy" takeaway food consumption.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interventions that target beliefs about the relationship between diet and health, and nutritional knowledge may reduce socioeconomic differences in takeaway food consumption, particularly for "less healthy" options.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia; Cancer and Population Studies Group, QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute, Herston, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Miura
authors.affiliation: School of Public Health and Social Work, Faculty of Health, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, Queensland, Australia.
authors.forename: Gavin
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Turrell
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001315:Australia; D002755:Choice Behavior; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003469:Culture; D004032:Diet / Q000523:psychology*; D057140:Fast Foods; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D058870:Food, Organic; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors