Table 3.

Bivariate associations between phthalate metabolite concentrations and diet-related predictors considered.

Diet-related factors	No	Yes	MEP	MBzP	MBP	MiBP	ΣDEHP
Baked goods	37	57
Beef, pork, or lamb	21	73
Canned food	71	23
Deep-fried food	46	48
Diet soda	81	13
Fast food	56	38
Fish	35	59
Fresh fruits	6	88
Fresh vegetables	10	84		+**
Low-fat milk	40	54	+*
Pasta, rice, or noodles	32	62	+*	+*
Processed meat	67	27					−**
Soda	78	16		−**		−*
Sugar-sweetened beverage	66	28				−**	−*
Whole grains	12	82
Whole milk	38	56
Consume foods and drinks in plastic packaging	62	32
Could not afford to eat balanced mealsa	54	40	+**
Heat food in plastic in the microwave	45	49
Store food in plastic containers and bagsb	49	45		+*	+*

^a.For the questionnaire item “could not afford to eat balanced meals”, the yes category corresponds to occurred sometimes and occurred frequently, while the no category corresponds to never.

^b.The answer choices for storing food in plastics were yes and no. For all other exposures listed, the exposure category of no corresponds to consumption never or rarely and yes corresponds to consumption 1–3 times per month, 1–3 times per week, 4–6 times per week, or every day.

^+**/−**Positive/negative association between questionnaire item and metabolite at P<0.05.

^+*/−*Positive/negative association between questionnaire item and metabolite at 0.05≤P<0.1.