In a new study, a research team affiliated with the Boston University School of Public Health found that Americans are increasingly eating more of their meals prepared away from home – particularly African Americans, who also have higher rates of obesity. The study team examined the association between consumption of foods from restaurants and risk of becoming obese in a large cohort of young African American women. Their results, published online in Ethnicity & Disease, provide evidence that frequently eating hamburgers from restaurants is associated with higher risk of obesity. Higher intake of sugar-sweetened soft drinks, which are commonly consumed together with restaurant foods, was also independently associated with obesity risk.