Objectives: Away-from-home (AFH) eating has been associated with poor diet quality and health outcomes like obesity in developed countries. AFH eating is also emerging in lowincome countries, but its influence on overall diet quality is under-researched. We examined the prevalence of AFH eating and its influence on the dietary patterns of Ugandan adults. Methods: This cross-sectional study employed a web-based survey to interview Ugandan adults aged 18 ~ 65 years. A qualitative food frequency questionnaire was used to assess the food group intake, which was then converted into daily intake frequencies. Principal component analysis was used to derive dietary patterns. The participants were then classified based on the tertiles (T) of dietary pattern scores. Results: About 75% of the 375 participants reported eating AFH. The young men, food insecure, and urban dwellers were more likely to eat AFH  5 times/week. Three dietary patterns emerged; the animal-based, beverage pattern; the high fat, sweet pattern; and the traditional, plant-based pattern. Participants who frequently ate AFH were 2.85 times and 5.64 times more likely to be in the second and third tertiles, respectively, of the animalbased, beverage pattern compared to the rare eaters (OR = 2.85, 95% CI: 1.35-6.06 for T2 vs T1; and OR = 5.64, 95% CI: 2.50-12.73 for T3 vs T1). The odds of being in the second tertile of the high fat, sweet pattern was significantly higher for frequent AFH eaters compared to the rare eaters (OR = 2.61, 95% CI:1.23-5.52). Conclusions The prevalence of AFH eating was high. Frequent AFH eating was common among the young, male, food insecure, and urban dwellers, and was associated with unhealthy dietary patterns.

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: We investigated the associations between eating away from home (EAFH) and overweight and obesity among Ugandan adults using the 2014 Uganda non-communicable disease risk factor survey. SUBJECTS/METHODS: In total, 3,025 participants aged 18–69 years were included in the analysis. The frequency of EAFH was assessed by asking participants the number of meals eaten per week that were not prepared at a home. EAFH frequency was categorized as; less than once/week, 1-2 times/week, or ≥ 3 times/week. Logistic regression was used to evaluate the associations between overweight, obesity, and EAFH. We also tested whether sex and age modified these associations. RESULTS: Participants that ate away from home ≥ 3 times/week were 2.13 times more likely to be obese than those that ate away from home less than once/week (odds ratio [OR], 2.13; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.28–3.54). However, when the analysis was stratified by sex, women that ate away from home ≥ 3 times/week were 42% less likely to be overweight than those that ate away from home less than once/week (OR, 0.58; 95% CI, 0.36–0.94). Men that ate away from home ≥ 3 times a week were 3.89 times and 2.23 times more likely to be obese and overweight, respectively, than those that ate away from home less than once/week (obesity: OR, 3.89; 95% CI, 1.50–10.09; overweight: OR, 2.23; 95% CI, 1.42–3.51). Agestratified analysis showed that among participants aged 31–50 years, those that ate away from home ≥ 3 times a week were 3.53 times more likely to be obese than those that ate away from home less than once/week (OR, 3.53; 95% CI, 1.69–7.37). CONCLUSIONS Frequent EAFH was positively associated with overweight and obesity among men, and obesity among young/middle-aged adults, but negatively associated with overweight in women. Nutritional interventions for obesity reduction in Uganda should include strategies aimed at reducing the frequency of eating meals prepared away from home, and specifically target men and young/middle-aged adults.