Examining use of restaurant nutrition information among adults living in England engaged in disordered eating or weight management efforts
File(s)
Published version
Author(s)
Type
Journal Article
Abstract
Background
Calorie labels on menus are a popular policy initiative to help consumers to reduce their energy intake. Consumers trying to improve their diet may benefit from the labels if they help inform eating decisions. However, it is not well known how some groups, such as those with disordered eating, may view a calorie labelling policy and engage with nutritional labels in England.
Methods
Using 2021 International Food Policy Study data from 2,898 adults in England, we assessed policy support for menu labels, participants’ noticing and influence of nutrition information, and behavioural impacts based on nutrition information labelling at restaurants. Using logistic regression models, we explored whether there were differences in responses between participants engaged in disordered eating or weight management efforts compared to those who engaged in neither.
Results
A majority (56.9%) of participants supported a calorie labelling policy. People reporting disordered eating behaviours had greater odds of noticing, being influenced by, and changing behaviour because of nutritional information compared with participants not engaging in disordered eating or weight management. Participants with a preoccupation with thinness had greater odds of supporting calorie labelling, whereas those engaging in binge eating did not differ in odds and those reporting self-induced vomiting had lower odds of supporting the policy. Compared to the reference group, weight loss and weight maintenance groups had greater odds of being influenced by nutrition information and of eating out less often. Of the weight management groups, only participants reporting weight loss efforts had greater odds of ordering something different and of supporting a calorie labelling policy.
Conclusion
As one of the first quantitative studies in England to examine engagement with restaurant nutrition information among adults with disordered eating and weight management efforts, this study indicates that nutrition information had differential impacts among those with disordered eating or engaging in weight management. England implemented a mandatory calorie labelling policy for the out-of-home food sector after the current data were collected; future studies should examine how the policy influences eating decisions and consider potential impacts on people with disordered eating.
Calorie labels on menus are a popular policy initiative to help consumers to reduce their energy intake. Consumers trying to improve their diet may benefit from the labels if they help inform eating decisions. However, it is not well known how some groups, such as those with disordered eating, may view a calorie labelling policy and engage with nutritional labels in England.
Methods
Using 2021 International Food Policy Study data from 2,898 adults in England, we assessed policy support for menu labels, participants’ noticing and influence of nutrition information, and behavioural impacts based on nutrition information labelling at restaurants. Using logistic regression models, we explored whether there were differences in responses between participants engaged in disordered eating or weight management efforts compared to those who engaged in neither.
Results
A majority (56.9%) of participants supported a calorie labelling policy. People reporting disordered eating behaviours had greater odds of noticing, being influenced by, and changing behaviour because of nutritional information compared with participants not engaging in disordered eating or weight management. Participants with a preoccupation with thinness had greater odds of supporting calorie labelling, whereas those engaging in binge eating did not differ in odds and those reporting self-induced vomiting had lower odds of supporting the policy. Compared to the reference group, weight loss and weight maintenance groups had greater odds of being influenced by nutrition information and of eating out less often. Of the weight management groups, only participants reporting weight loss efforts had greater odds of ordering something different and of supporting a calorie labelling policy.
Conclusion
As one of the first quantitative studies in England to examine engagement with restaurant nutrition information among adults with disordered eating and weight management efforts, this study indicates that nutrition information had differential impacts among those with disordered eating or engaging in weight management. England implemented a mandatory calorie labelling policy for the out-of-home food sector after the current data were collected; future studies should examine how the policy influences eating decisions and consider potential impacts on people with disordered eating.
Date Issued
2026-05-12
Date Acceptance
2026-03-20
Citation
BMC Public Health, 2026, 26
ISSN
1471-2458
Publisher
BMC
Journal / Book Title
BMC Public Health
Volume
26
Copyright Statement
© The Author(s) 2026. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License, which permits use, sharing, adaptation, distribution and reproduction in any medium or format, as long as you give appropriate credit to the original author(s) and the source, provide a link to the Creative Commons licence, and indicate if changes were made. The images or other third party material in this article are included in the article’s Creative Commons licence, unless indicated otherwise in a credit line to the material. If material is not included in the article’s Creative Commons licence and your intended use is not permitted by statutory regulation or exceeds the permitted use, you will need to obtain permission directly from the copyright holder. To view a copy of this licence, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/.
License URL
Identifier
10.1186/s12889-026-27141-6
Subjects
Food policy
Menu labels
Disordered eating
Weight management
Publication Status
Published
Article Number
1521
Date Publish Online
2026-03-31