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. 2025 Mar 18;25(1):1049.
doi: 10.1186/s12889-025-22157-w.

Current trends in take-out food consumption and its influencing factors among first-trimester pregnant women in Changsha

Sheng Teng #  1 , Yi Yang #  1 , Leshi Lin  1 , Wenjuan Li  1 , Li Li  2 , Fang Peng  2 , Xiao Gao  3 , Dongmei Peng  4
Affiliations

Current trends in take-out food consumption and its influencing factors among first-trimester pregnant women in Changsha

Sheng Teng et al. BMC Public Health. .

Abstract

Background: Take-out food consumption has adverse effects on public health, and previous studies have reported that frequent consumption of take-out food increases the risk of hypertension and heart disease. However, the status of take-out food consumption among pregnant women remains unclear. This study aimed to provide a comprehensive description of the present state of take-out food consumption among first-trimester pregnant women in Changsha and to investigate the factors influencing this behaviour.

Methods: We included 888 pregnant women in early pregnancy from a cross-sectional study (March-August 2022) conducted at Changsha Hospital for Maternal and Child Health Care, Hunan Province, China. Electronic questionnaires were administered during early antenatal check-ups. The questionnaire included demographic information, health and lifestyle behaviours, pregnancy-related information, take-out food consumption, and anxiety and depression scales. Statistical analyses were conducted using SPSS 18.0, including nonparametric Kruskal-Wallis H tests and multivariate ordinal logistic regression, to explore the factors influencing take-out food consumption by first-trimester pregnant women.

Results: In Changsha, 73.3% of pregnant women consumed take-out food during early pregnancy. The top three types of take-out foods commonly consumed were rice noodles or noodles (55.7%), Chinese fast foods (49.9%), and sugary drinks or desserts (37.4%). The results of multivariate ordinal logistic regression analysis revealed that pregnant women with depression symptoms (odds ratio [OR] = 1.65, 95% confidence interval [CI]:1.18-2.32), higher education level (OR = 1.88, 95%CI:1.23-2.88), and higher online time (OR = 1.50, 95%CI:1.11-2.03) consumed take-out food more frequently in early pregnancy than those without depression symptoms, lower education level, and lower online time.

Conclusions: Our study suggests that take-out food consumption is common among first-trimester pregnant women in Changsha. Education level, depression symptoms, and online time are risk factors that may potentially influence the consumption of take-out food during early pregnancy.

Keywords: Early pregnancy; Influencing factors; Pregnant women; Take-out food consumption.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Ethics approval and consent to participate: This study was approved by the Ethics Committee of Hunan Normal University (approval number: 2021 No. 278). Written informed consent was obtained from all participants. Consent for publication: Not applicable. Competing interests: The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Percentage of pregnant women with experience in consuming a specific take-out food during early pregnancy
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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