Background: The frequency of visits to restaurants has been suggested to contribute to the pandemic of obesity. However, few studies have examined how individual use of these restaurants is related to Body Mass Index (BMI).
Aim: To investigate the association between the usage of different types of food outlets and BMI among adults in Scotland.
Method: The study was cross-sectional. Participants completed an online survey for seven consecutive days where all food purchased at food outlets was reported each day. We explored the relationship between BMI and usage of these food outlets.
Results: The total number of participants that completed the survey was 681. The BMI of both males and females was not related to frequency of use of Full-Service Restaurants (FSRs), Fast-Food Restaurants (FFRs), delivery or takeaways, when assessed individually or combined (TFOs = total food outlets).
Conclusion: These cross-sectional data do not support the widespread belief that consumption of food out of the home at fast-food and full-service restaurants, combined with that derived from deliveries and takeaways, is a major driver of obesity in Scotland.
Keywords: energy contents; energy intake; food outlet usage; obesity.