Use of reduced-calorie/reduced-fat foods by young adults: influence of gender and restraint.

Reduced-calorie/reduced-fat (RC/RF) foods are widespread in the food supply, but there are few published data on who is using them and why. A total of 226 college men (n = 76) and women (n = 150) participated in a survey investigating the influence of gender and dietary restraint on eating habits, dieting and the use of 11 categories of RC/RF foods. Men did not differ from women in their overall use of RC/RF foods, although specific foods were consumed by a greater percentage of women. Restrained eating was strongly related to use of all the foods (p < or = 0.001). Women and those higher in restraint used the foods primarily for weight-control purposes, whereas men and those lower in restraint tended to use the foods for both weight control and other reasons. Women and those high in restraint were also more likely to have changed their eating habits to achieve weight loss and maintenance goals and to achieve a healthier lifestyle. In contrast, a greater percentage of men and those low in restraint wanted to achieve weight gain. These data suggest that RC/RF foods were popular among respondents in the study, but that the reasons for their use by restrained and unrestrained eaters might reflect gender differences in body weight and health concerns.