The association between frequency of away-from home meals and type 2 diabetes mellitus in rural Chinese adults: the Henan Rural Cohort Study

Purpose There is a paucity of data on the association between away-from home meals (AFHs) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). The aim of this cross-sectional study was to explore the dose–response relationship between AFHs and T2DM in a Chinese population. Methods A total of 29,910 participants were enrolled from the Henan Rural Cohort Study. Information on the weekly frequency of AFHs was collected by face-to-face questionnaires. Logistic regression and restricted cubic splines were used to estimate the relationship between the frequencies of AFHs and T2DM. Mediation analysis was performed to examine the contribution of body mass index (BMI) to the frequency of AFH-related T2DM. Results Compared with those who reported 0 AFHs per week, those who consumed ≥ 11 AFHs/week were associated with a 39% increase in the prevalence of T2DM. A nonlinear dose–response relationship between the frequency of AFHs and T2DM was found. Compared with the 0 AFHs/week group, in males, the multivariate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) of the groups with 11 or more AFHs/week for T2DM were 1.36 (1.01–1.84). However, no such association was found in females. BMI partly mediated the effects of the frequency of AFHs on T2DM, and the proportion explained was 23.4%. Conclusions A relationship between the frequency of AFHs and T2DM was observed in the rural Chinese population. An excessive frequency of AFHs was likely to increase the prevalence of T2DM. Meanwhile, BMI partially mediates the effects of the frequency of AFHs on T2DM. Trial registration The Henan Rural Cohort Study, ChiCTR-OOC-15006699, Registered 6 July 2015, https://www.chictr.org.cn/showproj.aspx?proj=11375 .