Table 2.
Characteristics of participants overall and by frequency of consuming different main meal types: adults (n 11 326) aged 29–64 years at baseline (recruited between 2005 and 2015), Fenland Study, Cambridge, UK
| Home-cooked meals | Ready meals | Takeaways | Eating out | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total | ≤2 times/week | >2 times/week | ≤2 times/week | >2 times/week | ≤2 times/week | >2 times/week | <1 time/week | ≥1 time/week | ||||||||||
| Variable* | Level | (n11 326) | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % | n | % |
| Sex | Male | 5291 | 377 | 7·13 | 4914 | 92·87 | 4923 | 93·04 | 368 | 6·96 | 4903 | 92·67 | 388 | 7·33 | 3291 | 62·20 | 2000 | 37·80 |
| Female | 6035 | 315 | 5·22 | 5720 | 94·78 | 5769 | 95·59 | 266 | 4·41 | 5706 | 94·55 | 329 | 5·45 | 4404 | 72·97 | 1631 | 27·03 | |
| Age (years) | ||||||||||||||||||
| Median | – | 48·9 | 47·2 | 49·1 | 49·0 | 48·2 | 48·9 | 49·8 | 49·2 | 48·5 | ||||||||
| IQR | – | 42·9–54·8 | 41·9–53·3 | 43·0–54·9 | 43·0–54·9 | 42·0–54·0 | 42·9–54·8 | 43·5–55·6 | 43·1–55·0 | 42·3–54.6 | ||||||||
| Ethnicity | Non-white | 305 | 12 | 3·93 | 293 | 96·07 | 280 | 91·80 | 25 | 8·20 | 261 | 85·57 | 44 | 14·43 | 212 | 69·51 | 93 | 30·49 |
| White | 11 021 | 680 | 6·17 | 10 341 | 93·83 | 10 412 | 94·47 | 609 | 5·53 | 10 348 | 93·89 | 673 | 6·11 | 7483 | 67·90 | 3538 | 32·10 | |
| Annual household income (£) | <20 000 | 1529 | 151 | 9·88 | 1378 | 90·12 | 1423 | 93·07 | 106 | 6·93 | 1396 | 91·30 | 133 | 8·70 | 1189 | 77·76 | 340 | 22·24 |
| 20 000–40 000 | 3971 | 258 | 6·50 | 3713 | 93·50 | 3742 | 94·23 | 229 | 5·77 | 3673 | 92·50 | 298 | 7·50 | 2936 | 73·94 | 1035 | 26·06 | |
| >40 000 | 5826 | 283 | 4·86 | 5543 | 95·14 | 5527 | 94·87 | 299 | 5·13 | 5540 | 95·09 | 286 | 4·91 | 3570 | 61·28 | 2256 | 38·72 | |
| Qualifications | Basic | 2149 | 170 | 7·91 | 1979 | 92·09 | 2039 | 94·88 | 110 | 5·12 | 1959 | 91·16 | 190 | 8·84 | 1569 | 73·01 | 580 | 26·99 |
| Further | 5222 | 342 | 6·55 | 4880 | 93·45 | 4928 | 94·37 | 294 | 5·63 | 4851 | 92·90 | 371 | 7·10 | 3714 | 71·12 | 1508 | 28·88 | |
| Degree level | 3955 | 180 | 4·55 | 3775 | 95·45 | 3725 | 94·18 | 230 | 5·82 | 3799 | 96·06 | 156 | 3·94 | 2412 | 60·99 | 1543 | 39·01 | |
| Occupation status | Routine | 1814 | 152 | 8·38 | 1662 | 91·62 | 1709 | 94·21 | 105 | 5·79 | 1650 | 90·96 | 164 | 9·04 | 1343 | 74·04 | 471 | 25·96 |
| Middle | 3372 | 214 | 6·35 | 3158 | 93·65 | 3195 | 94·75 | 177 | 5·25 | 3120 | 92·53 | 252 | 7·47 | 2470 | 73·25 | 902 | 26·75 | |
| Higher | 6140 | 326 | 5·31 | 5814 | 94·69 | 5788 | 94·27 | 352 | 5·73 | 5839 | 95·10 | 301 | 4·90 | 3882 | 63·22 | 2258 | 36·78 | |
| Working in past 4 weeks | No | 1398 | 68 | 4·86 | 1330 | 95·14 | 1334 | 95·42 | 64 | 4·58 | 1298 | 92·85 | 100 | 7·15 | 1016 | 72·68 | 382 | 27·32 |
| Yes | 9928 | 624 | 6·29 | 9304 | 93·71 | 9358 | 94·26 | 570 | 5·74 | 9311 | 93·79 | 617 | 6·21 | 6679 | 67·27 | 3249 | 32·73 | |
| Overtime working (>48 h/week) | No | 9975 | 574 | 5·75 | 9401 | 94·25 | 9422 | 94·46 | 553 | 5·54 | 9345 | 93·68 | 630 | 6·32 | 6904 | 69·21 | 3071 | 30·79 |
| Yes | 1351 | 118 | 8·73 | 1233 | 91·27 | 1270 | 94·00 | 81 | 6·00 | 1264 | 93·56 | 87 | 6·44 | 791 | 58·55 | 560 | 41·45 | |
*
Results shown as number and row percentage for categorical variables; median and interquartile range (IQR) for continuous variables (age).