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Updated: Jul 19, 2026
Assessment of Child Anthropometry in a Large Epidemiologic Study
Published on: February 2, 2017
Effect of eating frequency on body composition in 9-11-year-old children
A Zerva1, G P Nassis, M Krekoukia
1Laboratory of Nutrition and Clinical Dietetics, Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, Harokopio University, Athens, Greece.
Insights
Frequent eating in children is linked to better body composition, with less body fat and central adiposity. This association may be partly explained by increased physical activity levels in frequent eaters.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Childhood Obesity
- Human Physiology
Background:
- Understanding factors influencing childhood body composition is crucial for public health.
- Eating frequency is a dietary behavior that may impact energy balance and adiposity in children.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the relationship between eating frequency and body composition in children.
- To identify potential mediating factors, such as physical activity, in this association.
Main Methods:
- A cohort of 131 children (aged 9.9 years) had their body composition assessed via anthropometry.
- Dietary intake was recorded over 3 days, and eating episodes were categorized into tertiles.
- Physical activity was measured using accelerometry in a subgroup of 48 children.
Main Results:
- A higher number of eating episodes was inversely associated with skinfold thickness and body fat percentage.
- Children with frequent eating patterns exhibited lower total and central adiposity.
- Frequent eaters consumed more calories but also engaged in significantly more physical activity.
Conclusions:
- Increased eating frequency is associated with more favorable body composition in school-aged children.
- Higher energy expenditure through physical activity may contribute to the beneficial body composition observed in frequent eaters.
Abstract:
The aim of this study was twofold: a) to examine the association between eating frequency and body composition in children, and b) to identify possible factors that may explain this relationship. Body composition (anthropometry) and dietary intake (3-day food records) were assessed in a cohort of 151 children. After excluding the underreporters (n = 20), data from 131 children (66 boys and 65 girls) aged 9.9 +/- 0.1 yr with a BMI of 19.6 +/- 0.4 kg/m (2) (means +/- se) were used for further analysis. Children were categorized in tertiles based on the daily number of eating episodes. Physical activity was assessed in a subgroup of 48 volunteers with 4-day accelerometry (RT3, Stayhealthy Inc., Monrovia, CA, USA). The number of eating episodes was inversely associated (p < 0.05) with the sum of skinfolds (r = - 0.17) and % body fat (r = - 0.18) after controlling for age and sex. Frequent eaters presented lower total (p < 0.05) and central adiposity (p < 0.01) compared with the infrequent ones. This was despite the fact that energy intake was higher for the frequent eaters (2077.0 +/- 64.3 vs. 1813.0 +/- 37.8 kcals/day for the frequent and the infrequent eaters, respectively, p < 0.05). Actually, frequent eaters devoted more time to physical activity than infrequent ones (624.7 +/- 13.5 vs. 559.2 +/- 23.1 min/day, p < 0.05). In conclusion, high eating frequency was associated with more favorable body composition in this cohort of school children. Increased energy expenditure due to physical activity may, at least in part, explain the favorable body composition of children who eat frequently.
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