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Noticing and Responding to Calorie Labels on Restaurant Menus: Patterns in Sexual-Minority Men
Meg G Salvia1, Heather Mattie2, Alvin Tran3
1Department of Nutrition, T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, Massachusetts.
American Journal of Preventive Medicine
|October 9, 2023
Summary
Many sexual-minority men notice restaurant calorie labels. Those who do are more likely to alter their orders, with disordered eating and muscle-enhancing behaviors linked to these changes.
Area of Science:
- Public Health
- Behavioral Science
- Nutritional Science
Background:
- Calorie-labeling policies on restaurant menus were enacted in 2018.
- The impact of these policies on sexual-minority men remains unevaluated.
Purpose of the Study:
- To assess sexual-minority men's awareness of menu calorie labels.
- To determine how this demographic utilizes calorie information and its association with behaviors.
Main Methods:
- A 2020 cross-sectional survey of 504 cisgender sexual-minority men was conducted.
- Data collected included awareness of calorie labels, ordering responses, weight-change goals, body image, disordered eating, and supplement use.
- Multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed.
Main Results:
- Around 50% of participants noticed calorie labels; they were more prone to disordered eating behaviors (OR=2.03).
- Ordering fewer calories was the most common response among those who noticed labels.
- Heterogeneous ordering patterns (both more and fewer calories) were associated with disordered eating (OR=4.70) and muscle-enhancing behaviors (OR=9.42).
Conclusions:
- Most sexual-minority men notice menu calorie information, with many adjusting their orders.
- Disordered eating and muscle-enhancing behaviors are significantly associated with responses to calorie labeling.
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