title: Unhealthy eating behaviors and weight gain: A prospective study in young and middle-age adults.
abstract: Guidelines for obesity prevention recommend reducing certain unhealthy eating behaviors (UEB). However, the association between UEB and weight gain is uncertain.
  
  
  
  Prospective cohort with 1,638 individuals aged 18-60 years was recruited in 2008-2010. UEB assessed at baseline were: not planning how much to eat, consuming pre-cooked/canned food, buying snacks, eating in fast-food restaurants, not choosing low-calorie foods, not removing visible fat from meat or skin from chicken, and eating while watching TV or seating on a sofa. Participants were followed up through 2012 to assess weight change.
  
  
  
  Compared to reporting 0-2 UEB, the multivariate odds ratios (95% confidence interval) for gaining ≥3 kg were 0.97 (0.74-1.28) for 3-4 UEB and 1.61 (1.09-2.39) for ≥5 UEB, P-trend = 0.07. Results were similar for gaining ≥5 kg. The three UEB with the strongest associations with weight gain were: 1) not planning the amount of food to eat, 2) eating at fast-food restaurants, and 3) eating while watching TV; compared to having none of these three behaviors, the odds ratio (95% confidence interval) for gaining ≥3 kg was 1.54 (0.77-3.08) for 1 UEB, 1.70 (0.85-3.37) for 2 UEB, and 2.75 (1.28-5.90) for 3 UEB, P-trend = 0.007. Similar results were obtained for gaining ≥5 kg.
  
  
  
  Several UEB are associated with weight gain.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid/IdiPaz, and CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Luz M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: León-Muñoz
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid/IdiPaz, and CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Esther
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: García-Esquinas
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid/IdiPaz, and CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.|Department of Epidemiology and Public Health, Leonard Miller School of Medicine, University of Miami, Miami, Florida, USA.
authors.forename: Hosanna
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Soler-Vila
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid/IdiPaz, and CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Pilar
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Guallar-Castillón
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid/IdiPaz, and CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: José R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Banegas
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Medicina Preventiva y Salud Pública, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid/IdiPaz, and CIBER of Epidemiology and Public Health (CIBERESP), Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Fernando
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rodríguez-Artalejo
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D015331:Cohort Studies; D057140:Fast Foods; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005502:Food; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009765:Obesity / Q000517:prevention & control; D016017:Odds Ratio; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012147:Restaurants; D013690:Television; D015430:Weight Gain; D055815:Young Adult