MONDAY, Feb. 28, 2005 (HealthDay News) -- Everyday concerns such as food prices, the time it takes to make a meal, and the location of grocery stores help determine the dietary fat intake of obese women, researchers report.
The report also found that women who pay more attention to taste and who eat according to mood are more likely to consume more fat, regardless of their body size.
Reporting in the American Journal of Health Promotion, researchers from Michigan State University studied 581 mothers who receive federal assistance to determine factors that might predict their daily fat intake.
Factors such as changes in mood or food pricing were closely linked to fat intake, they found. Rationales such as eating low-fat foods to be healthy or look good were not good predictors of fat intake, either in normal-weight or obese women, however.
"Nutrition educators should be aware that predictors of fat intake behavior differ with body size," said Mei-Wei Chang, of the university's East Lansing College of Nursing.
More information
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have more about obesity.
