Eating Frequency and the Role of Snacking on Weight of Minority Preschool Children

Abstract

The objective of this study was to understand the influence of eating episodes and snack quality on body weight of preschool children ages 3 to 5 years participating in the Broward County Special Supplementation Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC). A secondary objective was to explore select obesity risk factors as potential confounding factors. Data was collected from 7 Broward County Health Department WIC clinics over 4 months. The researcher interviewed the participant's authorized representative and extracted additional data from the WIC data system. BMI‐for‐age percentiles were used to separate children into weight categories according to CDC guidelines, which were further combined into under/normal weight and overweight/obese for data analysis. A total of 200 participants [91 boys (45.5%) and 109 girls (54.5%)] were enrolled. When distributed into weight categories, 4% of the children were underweight, 64.5% normal weight, 16.5% overweight and 15% were obese. Most children consumed 3 meals (96.5%) and between 2 to 3 snacks per day (32.5% and 36.5% respectively). Preliminary data analysis of the relationship between eating frequency and weight category was not significant. Initial data analysis of snack quality completed to date looked into fruits and vegetables and beverage intakes. Average number of times a child eats fruits and vegetables per day was not significantly different between under/normal weight children and overweight/obese children (1.44±0.83 vs. 1.43±0.76 and 0.79±0.66 vs. 0.71±0.59 respectively). The overweight/obese children were consuming significantly more sweetened beverages than the under/normal weight group (6.94±8.47 oz/day vs. 4.86±7.16 oz/day, p=0.024) and significantly less water (17.55±6.15 oz/day vs. 18.40±9.18 oz/day, p=0.016). Mostly the intake of sugar‐sweetened juices was significantly higher in the overweight/obese group when compared to the under/normal weight group (5.67±7.91 oz/day vs. 3.86±6.34 oz/day, p=0.009). This finding suggests that the intake of sweetened beverages at a very young age needs to be addressed. According to our results, eating frequency appears appropriate across weight categories and does not predict weight status.Support or Funding InformationA.C. was supported by NIH/NIGMS R25 GM061347. Support to conduct the study was provided by the Dietetics and Nutrition research foundation. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health.