Association between snacking patterns, energy and nutrient intakes, and body mass index among school adolescents in Kuala Lumpur

Abstract

Snacking patterns among adolescence is important as it is associated with energy and nutrient intakes and consequently body mass index (BMI). The aim of the study was to evaluate the snacking patterns and also to assess whether snacking frequency is associated with energy and nutrient intakes, as well as BMI among the adolescents. Body mass index was assessed by anthropometric measurement with height and weight measurement. The snacking patterns were evaluated with questionnaire while dietary data was collected by food frequency questionnaire (FFQ) and one-day 24-hour diet recall. A total of 156 adolescents aged 13-15 years old from two secondary schools in Kuala Lumpur were involved in this study. Results showed that most respondents (48.7%) consumed snacks once a day. More than half (64.7%) of them reported having afternoon snack and the most common context for snacking were while watching television (59.6%). The most frequently consumed snacks included fruits, sweets, breads, milk, soft drinks and caffeinated beverages. The most common meal and snacking patterns in majority (23.1%) was composed of three main meals plus two snacks per day. There was significant difference between meal and snacking patterns and energy and macronutrients intakes (p<0.05). A total of 24.4% of daily energy intake came from snack consumption, while the energy contribution of protein, carbohydrate and fat intake from snacks were 18.7%, 26.6% and 23.7% of their daily energy intakes, respectively. More frequent snack intake contributes to higher energy intake. Moreover, the more frequent snack intake, the more carbohydrate intake from snack as compared to protein and fat intake. However, there was no significant association between snacking patterns and BMI. In conclusion, these findings indicated that snacking patterns was associated with energy and nutrient intakes but no association with BMI among the respondents.

Snack food and beverage consumption and young child nutrition in low‐ and middle‐income countries: A systematic review

“…Percent TEI from snack foods/SSB among adolescents in LMIC, as well as among children in high‐income settings, has also been noted within this range. Among Malaysian adolescents, 24% of TEI came from snack foods (Boon, Sedek, & Kasim, ), and among Filipino 15‐year‐olds, 21% TEI came from snack foods (Adair & Popkin, ). In high‐income settings, 31% and 27% TEIs came from snack foods/SSB among 2‐ to 6‐year‐olds in Russia and the United States, respectively (Adair & Popkin, ), and 31% of TEI among American children and adolescents 8–18 years of age came from low‐nutrient density foods, such as processed snack foods and SSB (Kant, ).…”

Kebiasaan jajan berhubungan dengan status gizi siswa anak sekolah di Kabupaten Gorontalo

“…34 Penelitian Boon et al pada anak sekolah di Kuala Lumpur juga mendapatkan bahwa terdapat hubungan antara kebiasaan jajan dengan indeks massa tubuh anak sekolah. 35 Demikian juga dengan hasil penelitian Wu et al terhadap 232 siswa Sekolah Dasar di Kuala Lumpur yang menyatakan bahwa konsumsi fast food paling sedikit satu kali per minggu cenderung memiliki indeks massa tubuh (p < 0,05) dan lingkar pinggang (p < 0,05) yang lebih tinggi dibandingkan dengan anak Sekolah Dasar yang mengonsumsi fast food kurang dari satu kali per minggu. 36 Akan tetapi hasil penelitian ini tidak sesuai dengan hasil penelitian yang dilakukan pada anak -anak di Amerika yang menyatakan bahwa kebiasaan mengonsumsi snack berhubungan dengan penurunan risiko overweight dan obesitas sentral.…”

Exploratory Analysis of Nutritional Quality and Metrics of Snack Consumption among Nepali Children during the Complementary Feeding Period

“…Even within these definitions, there is wide variation in how they are operationalized. Studies regarding snacks consumed outside of meals vary on how meal patterns are defined-some opting for participant designation of meals versus snacks [21,22] and others using predetermined timetables [1,23,24]. Those that assess nutritional quality of snacks also vary on whether foods and/or beverages are included in the definition [3,12,25] and how nutritional quality of these foods/beverages is considered, with some evaluating nutrient content and others assuming low nutritional quality based on food types (i.e., junk foods or sugar-sweetened beverages).…”

“…Additionally, in childhood, the role of snacks in dietary adequacy and consequent relationships with nutritional status may vary across age groups and context. Much research has been focused on the relationship between snacks and weight status among primary-school-age children [28][29][30] and adolescents [23,31,32]. Only limited research has been done on the contribution of snack consumption to dietary adequacy and nutritional outcomes among children under two years of age, whose energy and nutrient requirements are high and gastric capacity limited [33].…”