Institute for Physical Activity and Nutrition, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria, Australia.
Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act. 2021 Dec 19;18(1):165. doi: 10.1186/s12966-021-01231-7.
Recommendations to define eating occasions (EO) currently exist for research in adults, but not for children or adolescents. We examined how varying EO definitions affect the characterization of eating patterns in children and adolescents.
Cross-sectional dietary data collected using a 24-h recall data during the 2011-12 Australian National Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (1364 boys and 1337 girls aged 2-18 years) were analyzed. Eight definitions were applied: participant-identified, time-of-day, and 6 neutral definitions (EO separated by 15- or 60-min and/or an additional energy criterion of 21 or 210 kJ). Frequency of and total energy intake from meals, snacks, and all EO were estimated. F tests stratified by gender and age-group, were used to assess differences between definitions. Agreement between definitions of meal and snack frequencies was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC). Linear regression was used to estimate the proportion of variance in total energy intake (kJ) and BMI z-score predicted by each definition.
Mean frequencies of meals and snacks differed between the participant-identified and time-of-day definitions, in boys and girls and for all age groups (P < 0.01). Across the six neutral definitions, there were differences between mean frequencies of EO with the largest mean difference observed for children aged 2-3 y (boys: 2.3, girls: 2.5; P < 0.003). Between the participant-identified and time-of-day definitions, there was good agreement for frequencies of snacks (ICC for both genders: 0.93) but not meals (boys: 0.36; girls: 0.38). The 15-min time interval plus 210 kJ definition of an EO consistently predicted the most variance in total energy intake (R range = 8.1-34.8). Definitions that delineated meals and snacks better predicted variance in BMI z-score, when compared to the neutral definitions.
How eating patterns are characterized vary depending on the EO definitions employed, particularly in young children. Variance in total energy intake was best predicted by a variation of the neutral definition whereas definitions that delineated meals and snacks performed better in relation to predicting BMI variance. Further international research that compares EO definitions in children will help inform a standard approach.
目前已有针对成年人的定义进食时段（EO）的建议，但针对儿童和青少年的建议还没有。本研究旨在探究不同的 EO 定义如何影响儿童和青少年的进食模式特征。
对 2011-2012 年澳大利亚国家营养和身体活动调查（1364 名男孩和 1337 名女孩，年龄 2-18 岁）中使用 24 小时回忆法收集的横断饮食数据进行分析。共应用了 8 种 EO 定义：参与者识别、时间点和 6 种中性定义（间隔 15 分钟或 60 分钟的 EO 或加一个 21 或 210kJ 的能量标准）。评估了膳食、零食和所有 EO 的频率和总能量摄入。采用基于性别和年龄组的 F 检验，评估定义之间的差异。采用组内相关系数（ICC）评估膳食和零食频率定义之间的一致性。采用线性回归估计每种定义对总能量摄入（kJ）和 BMIz 评分的变异比例的预测能力。
在男孩和女孩以及所有年龄组中，参与者识别和时间点定义的膳食和零食频率存在差异（P<0.01）。在 6 种中性定义中，EO 的平均频率存在差异，其中 2-3 岁儿童的差异最大（男孩：2.3，女孩：2.5；P<0.003）。参与者识别和时间点定义之间，零食频率的一致性较好（两性 ICC：0.93），但膳食频率的一致性较差（男孩：0.36；女孩：0.38）。15 分钟时间间隔加 210kJ 的 EO 定义始终能更好地预测总能量摄入的变异（R 范围为 8.1-34.8）。与中性定义相比，更好地划分膳食和零食的定义能更好地预测 BMIz 评分的变异。
EO 定义的不同会影响进食模式的特征，尤其是在年幼的儿童中。总能量摄入的变异最好用中性定义的变体来预测，而划分膳食和零食的定义在预测 BMI 变异方面表现更好。进一步的国际研究比较儿童的 EO 定义将有助于制定标准方法。
