Moving Out Linked to Poorer Diet in Young Adults: Australian Study

Moving out of the family home in young adulthood may lead to a decline in diet quality, according to a new study of Australian adolescents and young adults. Researchers found a small but measurable decrease in the nutritional value of diets after individuals transitioned to living independently.

The study, published in the journal Health & Place, tracked the dietary habits of 1,135 participants from the Raine Study cohort – a multi-generational study originating with pregnant women in Western Australia between 1989, and 1992. Participants self-reported their food intake via food frequency questionnaires at ages 14, 17, 20, 22, and 27. Diet quality was assessed using the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet score, ranging from 0 to 80 (higher scores indicating better quality), and by measuring discretionary food intake – foods not included in Australia’s five core food groups.

Researchers observed a U-shaped trajectory for DASH scores, with the lowest point around age 20. On average, the DASH diet score decreased by approximately one point after participants left their parental home. Simultaneously, intake of discretionary foods – those high in energy density and often low in nutritional value – increased by about 1% following the move.

The impact on diet quality varied depending on living arrangements. The most significant decline in DASH scores was observed among those who moved in with a partner. Those living with friends or alone also experienced lower DASH scores compared to those remaining in their parental home. Initially, moving out alone was associated with a slight decrease in discretionary food intake (0.65%), while moving in with friends or a partner led to an increase of about 1%. However, the difference in discretionary food intake between living situations tended to narrow over time.

The study highlights the importance of adolescent nutrition, noting that poor diet quality during these formative years is linked to increased adiposity, higher body mass index, greater fat mass, and cardiometabolic risk factors that can persist into adulthood. The rising prevalence of obesity and overweight, particularly among young people, underscores the need to understand factors influencing dietary habits.

Researchers caution that the study is observational and therefore demonstrates association, not causation. The timing of leaving home was based on self-reporting, and dietary intake was also self-reported, potentially introducing recall bias. The lack of data between the 22- and 27-year follow-ups limited the precision of tracking transitions in living arrangements.

The authors suggest future research should explore the motivations behind food choices, the influence of income and time constraints, and potential sex-specific differences in dietary changes associated with leaving the parental home.