Dietary pattern as a predictor of change in BMI z-score among girls

Abstract

Objectives: To describe child and adolescent dietary patterns and to determine associations between childhood dietary pattern and longitudinal change in body mass index (BMI) z-score among girls. Population and methods: Healthy girls (n ¼ 101) aged 8-12 years at baseline and 11-19 years at follow-up participated in a longitudinal study of growth and development. Participants kept 7-day dietary records at two points in time. We incorporated time of day, frequency, and amount of energy consumed (defined as percentage of total energy consumed per dietary event) when characterizing dietary patterns. Results: Girls ate an average of 4-5 times per day and consumed most energy in the afternoon and in the evening/night, rather than in the morning. After controlling for baseline BMI, the mean percentage of daily energy consumed in the evening/night was positively associated with change in BMI z-score (P ¼ 0.039). Eating between 4.0 and 5.9 times per day overall and no more than 1.9 times in the evening/night daily were negatively associated with change in BMI z-score (P ¼ 0.002 and 0.047, respectively), after controlling for baseline BMI z-score. Discussion: Recommendations to decrease the percentage of energy coming from the evening/night meal and the number of dietary events to no more than six times per day and two times in the evening/night should be evaluated in future longitudinal investigations.

Chrono-nutrition: a review of current evidence from observational studies on global trends in time-of-day of energy intake and its association with obesity

“…The number of dietary data days also varied from as few as 1-7 d. BMI was assessed as a continuous variable expressed as kg/m 2 or as z-scores in some studies (27,(37)(38)(39)(40) , whilst in others BMI was treated as a categorical variable (41,42) . One study selected subcutaneous and visceral fat as an outcome of interest (43) .…”

What's love got to do with it? Family cohesion and healthy eating behaviors in adolescent girls

“…BMI-for-age z-scores indicate girls' BMI relative to other girls of the same age. Thompson et al 27 indicated that BMI z-score provides an indirect age and gender-specific measure of relative adiposity. Because the body composition of adolescent girls' changes dramatically with pubertal growth, a relative measure of BMI changes is more sensitive and useful than is absolute BMI.…”

The relationship between meal frequency and body mass index in black and white adolescent girls: more is less

“…Default values adapted from NCC were used for missing information on food amounts, types and preparation methods. To minimize the use of defaults, NGHS dietary 17 indicated that BMI z-scores provide an indirect age and gender-specific measure of relative adiposity. Because the body composition of adolescent girls changes dramatically with pubertal growth, a relative measure of BMI change is more sensitive and useful than is absolute BMI.…”

“…Note that these studies examined consumption of both meals and snacks in relation to BMI. [14][15][16][17] In their comprehensive review, Nicklas and colleagues 18 pointed out that adolescents with a consistent meal pattern of three meals per day have been found to be leaner than those with an inconsistent pattern 19 and consistent meals were also found to be associated with better dietary quality. Regularity in meal consumption may serve as an indicator of healthy dietary practices.…”