Abstract
Childhood nutrition patterns have an important role in later health. We studied the role of family type, other family background factors and their changes over a five-year follow-up with respect to meal frequency among children. Longitudinal data were collected in 2007-2009 and 2013-2014. A nationally representative sample of Finnish children (n = 1822) aged 0.5-5 years at baseline and 5-10 years at follow-up and their families were used. The participation rate was 83% at baseline and 54% at follow-up. Meal frequency was defined as four to six meals per day. The associations of meal frequency with family background factors over a five-year follow-up period were examined by bivariate and multivariate regression analyses. Eighty-nine per cent of the 5-10-year-old boys and girls had the recommended meal frequency at follow-up. Living in a single-parent family at baseline increased the risk of not eating the recommended number of meals compared with those living in intact families. After adjustments, a mother's low level of education (OR 0.51, CI 0.29-0.93) and a decrease in income sufficiency (OR 0.54, CI 0.35-0.84) during the follow-up period were unfavourably associated with the recommended meal frequency. The difference between children in stable single-parent, reconstituted or joint physical custody families and those living in stable intact families remained significant when controlling for other variables. Single-parent families with a low socioeconomic position represent important target groups for interventions designed to promote regular meal frequency.
Highlights
Low socioeconomic position (SEP) and living in a single-parent family have been suggested to be associated with irregular meal consumption in childhood [1,2,3,4]
89% of the 5–10-year-old boys and girls ate the recommended number of meals per day in 2013 (Table I). Among those children who did not have the recommended frequency, 8% had less than four meals a day and 3% had more than six meals a day
The results were similar concerning family SEP variables, but a single-parent family at baseline remained statistically and inversely associated with the recommended meal frequency
Summary
Low socioeconomic position (SEP) and living in a single-parent family have been suggested to be associated with irregular meal consumption in childhood [1,2,3,4]. Children’s eating behaviour, including regular meal frequency, is receiving growing attention with the rise in obesity and chronic nutrition-related diseases. In Finland, according to the national recommendations for families with children, Eating Together [5], a regular meal schedule is the foundation for healthy eating for both children and adults. Long intervals between meals can result in uncontrolled eating and unnecessary snacking and cause problems with overweight. The recommendation is that both children and adults should eat every 3–4 h, which translates into about four to six meals a day
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