Is dietary fat intake related to liking or household availability of high- and low-fat foods?

Objective: Despite the increasing availability of low- and reduced-fat foods, Americans continue to consume more fat than recommended, which may be a contributing factor to the obesity epidemic. This investigation examined relationships between liking and household availability of high- and low-fat foods and their association with dietary fat intake. Research Methods and Procedures: A food frequency questionnaire assessed percent calories from fat consumed over the past year in 85 men and 80 women. Participants reported their degree of liking 22 high-fat foods (>45% calories from fat) and 22 low-fat foods (<18% calories from fat), and the number and percentage (number of high-or low-fat foods/total number of foods x 100) of these high- and low-fat foods in their homes. Results: Hierarchical regression analyses examined the ability of liking and household availability of low- and high-fat foods to predict percent dietary fat intake. After controlling for age, sex, and BMI, liking ratings for high- and low-fat foods and the interaction of liking for low-fat foods by the percentage of low-fat foods in the household were significant predictors of percent dietary fat consumed. Greater liking of high-fat foods and lower liking of low-fat foods, both alone and combined with a lower percentage of low-fat foods in the home, were predictive of higher dietary fat intake. Discussion: Interventions designed to reduce dietary fat intake should target both decreasing liking for high-fat foods and increasing liking for low-fat foods, along with increasing the proportion of low-fat foods in the household.