Who still eats three meals a day? Findings from a quantitative survey in the Paris area

Lhuissier, Anne; Tichit, Christine; Cardón, Philippe; Masullo, Ana; Martin-Fernandez, Judith; Parizot, Isabelle; Chauvin, Pierre

doi:10.1016/j.appet.2012.12.012

Cited by 61 publications

(59 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…In the present report, we examined meal patterns during 1995-2000 in an adult European population aged 35-74 years and found that most countries still shared uniformity in the three-meal-a-day pattern at that time, with a high proportion reporting consumption of breakfast, lunch and dinner across all countries, even though lunch was less frequently reported in Nordic and central European countries than in Mediterranean countries. This three-meal continuity has also been reported in more recent studies in Nordic (31) , French (32)(33)(34) and Flemish (35) populations. However, for most central and northern countries, snacks contributed more to daily energy intake than did breakfast or lunch and in some countries snacks contributed nearly as much energy as did dinner.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Meal patterns across ten European countries – results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) calibration study

Huseinovic

Winkvist

Freisling

et al. 2016

Public Health Nutr.

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ObjectiveTo characterize meal patterns across ten European countries participating in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) calibration study.DesignCross-sectional study utilizing dietary data collected through a standardized 24 h diet recall during 1995–2000. Eleven predefined intake occasions across a 24 h period were assessed during the interview. In the present descriptive report, meal patterns were analysed in terms of daily number of intake occasions, the proportion reporting each intake occasion and the energy contributions from each intake occasion.SettingTwenty-seven centres across ten European countries.SubjectsWomen (64 %) and men (36 %) aged 35–74 years (n 36 020).ResultsPronounced differences in meal patterns emerged both across centres within the same country and across different countries, with a trend for fewer intake occasions per day in Mediterranean countries compared with central and northern Europe. Differences were also found for daily energy intake provided by lunch, with 38–43 % for women and 41–45 % for men within Mediterranean countries compared with 16–27 % for women and 20–26 % for men in central and northern European countries. Likewise, a south–north gradient was found for daily energy intake from snacks, with 13–20 % (women) and 10–17 % (men) in Mediterranean countries compared with 24–34 % (women) and 23–35 % (men) in central/northern Europe.ConclusionsWe found distinct differences in meal patterns with marked diversity for intake frequency and lunch and snack consumption between Mediterranean and central/northern European countries. Monitoring of meal patterns across various cultures and populations could provide critical context to the research efforts to characterize relationships between dietary intake and health.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 85%

Meal patterns across ten European countries – results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) calibration study

Huseinovic

Winkvist

Freisling

et al. 2016

Public Health Nutr.

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

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“…Meal frequencies have already been described in the SIRS survey [4]. We further explored the meal structures and characteristics in the same representative sample of the general adult, French-speaking population of the Paris metropolitan area.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Eating rhythms and places could thus be equally important as home cooking conditions. This result is even more surprising for immigrants coming from less educated backgrounds, which in France are less likely to follow the three-meal pattern [4]. Further research on this subject is needed to draw more precise conclusions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In order to avoid any normative approach, meals were defined as “eating events” considered as meals eaten by the participants themselves [19]. Information concerning meals was collected without reference to a three-meal pattern, by referring to meals by their rank instead of their usual names (for further details, see [4]). We collected data on several meal characteristics, such as number, time, location (home, working place, restaurant), with whom the meal is usually taken (alone, with family members, with colleagues or friends) and activities associated with meals (television, radio, computer, reading, chatting).…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The three-meal pattern, with breakfast between 7 and 8:30 am, lunch between 12 and 1:30 pm and supper between 7 and 8:30 pm, is still followed by a majority of French people, while meal frequencies have flattened in other European or North-American countries [1–4]. Meals, particularly the breakfast and evening meal, are still often taken at a slow pace, principally at home.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Is There Still a French Eating Model? A Taxonomy of Eating Behaviors in Adults Living in the Paris Metropolitan Area in 2010

et al. 2015

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BackgroundMeal times in France still represent an important moment in everyday life. The model of three rigorously synchronized meals is still followed by a majority of people, while meal frequencies have flattened in other European or North-American countries. We aimed to examine the “French model” of eating behavior by identifying and characterizing distinct meal patterns.MethodsAnalyses were based on data from the SIRS cohort, a representative survey of the adult population in the Paris area. A clustering algorithm was applied to meal variables (number, time, location, with whom the meal is usually shared and activities associated with meals). Regression models were used to investigate associations between patterns and socio-demographic, social environment and perceived food quality variables.ResultsFive different patterns were identified among 2994 participants. The first three types (prevalence 33%, 17% and 24%) followed a three-meal pattern, with differences in locations and social interactions mainly related to time constraints and age. More marked differences were observed in the remaining two types. In the fourth type (prevalence 13%), individuals ate one or two meals per day, often with an irregular schedule, at home and in front of the television. They frequently were unemployed and had lower income. Breakfast skipping, increased snacking and a low adherence to dietary guidelines suggested that this behavior might have health consequences. In the fifth type (12%), people also ate two meals or less per day, possibly with the same consequences on food quality. However, meals were often taken outside the home, in social settings, and individuals following this pattern were typically active, integrated, young people, suggesting that this pattern might be an adaptation to a modern urban lifestyle.ConclusionsWhile a majority of the population still follows the three-meal pattern, our analysis distinguished two other eating patterns associated with specific sociological profiles.

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Why are Food Practices not (More) Environmentally Friendly in France? The role of collective standards and symbolic boundaries in food practices

Dubuisson-Quellier

Gojard

2016

Env Pol Gov

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Despite concern about environmental issues, the majority of French households do not adopt eco-friendly practices. We propose a practice theory approach, enriched by key concepts from Bourdieu (distinction) and Lamont (symbolic boundaries), to understand the links between individual practices and collective frameworks. Drawing on an ethnographic study of 30 households in France, we explore food practices and the way people describe them. Our results are twofold: first, individuals see eco-friendly practices as strongly related to specific groups and normative standards, from which they may want to distinguish themselves. Even when people display eco-friendly practices, they associate them with other rationales. Second, because eco-friendly practices are not widely valued, they do not provide the same rewards as the implementation of other standards that are more consensual. We draw some practical implications for public policies from these results. A desegmentation of eco-friendly practices might prove useful, allowing them to be associated with wider social groups and to convey more collective positive meanings. Moreover, a large proportion of eco-friendly practices are in continuity with what individuals are already doing. Their implementation could benefit if it were made coherent with other practices, rather than being portrayed in public discourse as requiring a radical change.

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Who still eats three meals a day? Findings from a quantitative survey in the Paris area

Cited by 61 publications

References 36 publications

Meal patterns across ten European countries – results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) calibration study

Meal patterns across ten European countries – results from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition (EPIC) calibration study

Is There Still a French Eating Model? A Taxonomy of Eating Behaviors in Adults Living in the Paris Metropolitan Area in 2010

Why are Food Practices not (More) Environmentally Friendly in France? The role of collective standards and symbolic boundaries in food practices

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