Table 4.
Predictors of estimated calorie content among participants purchasing meals at fast food restaurant chains in four cities in New England, US, 2010 and 2011.* Figures are relative change† (95% CI)
| Variables | Adults | Adolescents | School age children |
|---|---|---|---|
| Intercept (estimated calorie content for meal of mean actual calorie content) | 459 (298 to 707) | 148 (75.1 to 295) | 372 (55.6 to 2485) |
| Log actual calorie content (centered on log mean) | 1.73 (1.62 to 1.84) | 1.60 (1.47 to 1.74) | 1.57 (1.14 to 2.18) |
| Age (per year) | 0.91‡ (0.88 to 0.95) | 1.04 (1.02 to 1.08) | 0.99 (0.93 to 1.05) |
| BMI (per 5 points) | 1.12 (1.06 to 1.17) | 1.06 (0.98 to 1.14) | 0.96 (0.84 to 1.10) |
| Sex: | |||
| Female | 1.0 (ref) | 1.0 (ref) | 1.0 (ref) |
| Male | 0.95 (0.85 to 1.07) | 0.92 (0.80 to 1.07) | 1.36 (0.96 to 1.92) |
| Race/ethnicity: | |||
| White | 1.0 (ref) | 1.0 (ref) | 1.0 (ref) |
| Asian | 0.74 (0.55 to 1.00) | 0.64 (0.46 to 0.88) | 1.45 (0.45 to 4.64) |
| Black | 0.66 (0.57 to 0.76) | 0.68 (0.55 to 0.85) | 1.07 (0.64 to 1.81) |
| Hispanic | 0.71 (0.60 to 0.84) | 0.64 (0.51 to 0.80) | 0.91 (0.54 to 1.50) |
| Other or multiracial | 0.70 (0.57 to 0.87) | 0.68 (0.53 to 0.88) | 1.42 (0.79 to 2.55) |
| Restaurant chain: | |||
| McDonald’s | 1.0 (ref) | 1.0 (ref) | 1.0 (ref) |
| Burger King | 1.01 (0.86 to 1.18) | 1.17 (0.96 to 1.44) | 1.14 (0.71 to 1.81) |
| Wendy’s | 1.01 (0.81 to 1.25) | 1.19 (0.91 to 1.56) | 0.83 (0.40 to 1.68) |
| KFC | 1.20 (0.96 to 1.50) | — | 1.45 (0.75 to 2.80) |
| Subway | 0.80 (0.66 to 0.96) | 0.75 (0.57 to 0.99) | 0.91 (0.46 to 1.82) |
| Dunkin’ Donuts | — | 0.83 (0.65 to 1.06) | — |
| Type 3 F test for chain difference | P=0.02 | P=0.01 | P=0.71 |
| Noticed posted calories in restaurant: | |||
| Yes | 1.0 (ref) | 1.0 (ref) | 1.0 (ref) |
| No | 0.89 (0.77 to 1.03) | 0.94 (0.76 to 1.17) | 0.88 (0.54 to 1.45) |
| Unsure | 0.77 (0.60 to 0.99) | 0.83 (0.62 to 1.10) | 0.91 (0.44 to 1.90) |
| Personal estimate of daily calorie requirement: | |||
| Accurate (1000-3000 calories/day) | 1.0 (ref) | 1.0 (ref) | 1.0 (ref) |
| Underestimated (<1000 calories/day) | 0.44 (0.38 to 0.52) | 0.50 (0.42 to 0.59) | 0.39 (0.27 to 0.57) |
| Overestimated (>3000 calories/day) | 1.13 (0.91 to 1.41) | 1.27 (0.98 to 1.63) | 1.48 (0.71 to 3.05) |
*Model is adjusted for all of variables in table as well as factors important in food choices (see appendix table for results for these variables). 1658 adults, 1081 adolescents, and 254 school age children had complete data on all variables. Results from multiple imputation models with all participants (1877, 330, 1178) were similar to results shown.
†Because we log transformed estimated calories, exponentiated parameter estimates are relative changes in estimated calorie content per unit increase for linear predictors or compared with reference group for categorical predictors.
‡Parameter estimate is per 10 years in this model rather than per year.