Open AccessImpact of Snacking Pattern on Overweight and Obesity Risk in a Cohort of 11‐ to 13‐Year‐Old Adolescents
Author(s) -
Bo Simona,
De Carli Luca,
Venco Elena,
Fanzola Ilaria,
Maiandi Maria,
De Michieli Franco,
Durazzo Marilena,
Beccuti Guglielmo,
CavalloPerin Paolo,
Ghigo Ezio,
Ganzit Gian P.
Publication year - 2014
Publication title -
journal of pediatric gastroenterology and nutrition
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.206
H-Index - 131
eISSN - 1536-4801
pISSN - 0277-2116
DOI - 10.1097/mpg.0000000000000453
Subject(s) - snacking , overweight , medicine , obesity , body mass index , morning , evening , relative risk , cohort , poisson regression , confidence interval , demography , cohort study , environmental health , population , physics , astronomy , sociology
ABSTRACT Objectives: The association between snacking habits and overweight in adolescents is unclear. We evaluated the relation between snacking patterns and overweight/obesity in a cohort of 11‐ to 13‐year‐old Italian adolescents. Methods: The dietary habits of 400 randomly selected adolescents were evaluated; those with body mass index ≥85th percentile were considered as overweight/obese. Participants were classified based on the percentage of caloric intake from snacks (<15%, 15%–20%, >20%), snacking frequency (1, 2, ≥3), and timing of consuming the most caloric snack (morning, afternoon, evening). Results: A minority of participants (13/400, 3.3%) did not consume any snacks; 5/13 (38.5) of them were overweight/obese. Among snackers (387/400), overweight/obesity prevalence was 10.4%, 14.4%, 20.5%, respectively, in those consuming <15%, 15% to 10%, and >20% of their energy intake from snacks. In a Poisson regression model, the overweight/obesity relative risks (RRs) were 1.35 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.58–3.15) and 2.32 (1.10–4.89) for 15% to 20% and >20% calories/day from snacks, respectively. Overweight/obesity prevalence (from 9.6% to 22.6%) was correlated with snacking frequency (RR 2.20, 95% CI 0.92–5.27, and RR 4.17, 95% CI 1.60–10.9, for 2 and ≥3 snacks per day, respectively). The most caloric snacks were consumed in the morning (180/387) and afternoon (179/387); 28.6% of the predominantly evening snackers (28/387) were overweight/obese (RR 3.12, 95% CI 1.17–8.34). Conclusions: Increased snacking calories, frequency, and evening snacking are independently associated with overweight/obesity in Italian middle‐school adolescents.