Abstract
BackgroundThere are limited data on the evolution of eating habits, including snacking, in Australia. This study aimed to understand snacking trends among Australian children over three previous National Nutrition Surveys.MethodsData were analysed from a single weekday 24-h recall in the National Nutrition Surveys 1995, 2007, 2011–12 among children 2-16y (n = 8258). A snacking occasion was defined as an eating occasion that occurred between meals based on time of day.ResultsThe percentage of children snacking increased over time (92.5 ± 0.5(SE) % in 1995, 98.1 ± 0.3% in 2007, and 95.8 ± 0.4% in 2011–12) (P < 0.001), particularly among those having four or more snacking occasions (7.1 ± 0.5% in 1995, 17.9 ± 0.6% in 2007, and 18.5 ± 0.8% in 2011–2) (P < 0.001). The mean number of snacking occasions increased from 2.0 ± 0.0 in 1995, to 2.5 ± 0.0 in 2007 and 2011–12 (P < 0.001). The energy contribution from snacking increased from 24.1 ± 0.3% in 1995 to 27.7 ± 0.3% in 2007 and 30.5 ± 0.4% in 2011–12 (P < 0.001), while the energy from discretionary food during snacking decreased from 56.5 ± 0.7% in 1995 to 47.3 ± 0.5% in 2007 and 47.9 ± 0.7% in 2011–12 (P < 0.001). There were differences in the top foods consumed during snacking: non-alcoholic beverages were prominent contributors in 1995 but not in 2007 or 2011, and pome fruit was the second top energy contributor during snacking in 2007 and 2011 but only fourth in 1995.ConclusionsSnacking is a prominent dietary pattern that has increased over time in frequency and energy contribution. Foods and beverages consumed during snacking occasions include a mix of core foods and discretionary foods, and while the contribution of discretionary foods has decreased, there is still an opportunity to encourage consumption of more nutrient dense foods during snacking.
Highlights
There are limited data on the evolution of eating habits, including snacking, in Australia
The objective of this study is to investigate the changes in snacking patterns in terms of prevalence, energy and nutrient contribution to total daily intakes and food groups consumed among children and adolescents across three nationally representative nutrition surveys in Australia, spanning 16 years
Snacking prevalence and frequency There was an increase in the proportion of children snacking, from 92.5% in 1995 to 98.1% in 2007, as well as an increase in the proportion of consumers during each snacking period (Table 2)
Summary
There are limited data on the evolution of eating habits, including snacking, in Australia. The prevalence of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents has risen across the globe [1, 2]. In Australia, in 2014–15 27.4% of children aged 5–17 years were overweight or obese [3], up from 25.7% in 2011– 12, 24.7% in 2007, and 20.9% in 1995 [4]. Snacking is a prevalent eating behaviour in both Mexico [14, 15] and Brazil [16] and has increased among countries where it is less traditional including China [17, 18] and Spain [19]
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