Related Experiment Videos
Eating patterns and obesity in children. The Bogalusa Heart Study
Theresa A Nicklas1, Su-Jau Yang, Tom Baranowski
1Children's Nutrition Research Center, Department of Pediatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA. tnicklas@bcm.tmc.edu
Insights
Childhood eating patterns like consuming sugary drinks and sweets are linked to overweight status. However, the overall impact on obesity risk was minimal, with ethnicity and gender playing a role.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric nutrition
- Public health
- Obesity research
Background:
- Childhood obesity presents a significant public health challenge.
- This study investigated dietary habits and overweight status in children from the Bogalusa Heart Study.
Purpose of the Study:
- To examine the association between specific eating patterns and overweight status in children.
- To explore potential differences in these associations across ethnic and gender groups.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional analysis of 1562 children (aged 10) using 24-hour dietary recalls over 21 years.
- Overweight defined by BMI > 85th percentile (CDC standards).
- Multivariate logistic regression analyzed eating patterns and overweight association.
Main Results:
- Consumption of sweetened beverages, sweets, meats, and low-quality foods positively correlated with overweight status.
- Higher total food intake, particularly from snacks, was associated with increased overweight risk.
- Significant interaction between ethnicity and gender influenced overweight status; Euro-American males had higher odds than African American females.
Conclusions:
- Multiple eating patterns are associated with childhood overweight, but the effect size is small.
- Findings highlight the complex interplay of diet, ethnicity, and gender in pediatric obesity.
- Further longitudinal research with multiple dietary assessments is recommended.
Background:
Childhood obesity is a growing public health problem. This study examined the association between eating patterns and overweight status in children who participated in the Bogalusa Heart Study.
Methods:
A single 24-hour dietary recall was collected on a cross-sectional sample of 1562 children aged 10 years (65% Euro-American [EA], 35% African American [AA]) over a 21-year period. Overweight was defined as body mass index greater than the 85th percentile using Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reference standards. Multivariate logistic regression was used to investigate the association between eating patterns and overweight.
Results:
Consumption of sweetened beverages (58% soft drinks, 20% fruit flavor drinks, 19% tea, and 3% coffee) (p<0.001); sweets (desserts, candy, and sweetened beverages) (p<0.001); meats (mixed meats, poultry, seafood, eggs, pork, and beef) (p<0.051); and total consumption of low-quality foods (p<0.01) were positively associated with overweight status. Total amount of food consumed, specifically from snacks, was positively associated with overweight status (p<0.05). There was a lack of congruency in the types of eating patterns associated with overweight status across four ethnic-gender groups. The percent variance explained from the eating pattern-overweight models was very small. The interaction of ethnicity and gender was significantly associated with overweight status (p<0.001). The odds of being overweight for EA males were 1.2 times higher than for AA females.
Conclusions:
These results demonstrate that numerous eating patterns were associated with overweight status, yet the odds of being overweight were very small. Additional studies are needed to confirm these findings in a longitudinal sample having multiple days of assessment.