Trajectories of Eating Behaviour Changes during Adolescence

Area of Science:

• Nutrition science
• Adolescent health
• Behavioral science

Background:

• Adolescence is a critical period for establishing lifelong eating habits.
• Tracking of eating behaviors from adolescence into adulthood is a significant public health concern.
• Understanding diverse eating behavior trajectories is essential for effective interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To characterize distinct eating behavior trajectories among adolescents.
• To identify subgroups with different patterns of vegetable and fruit, sugary beverage, breakfast, and fast-food consumption.
• To explore sex-specific differences in these eating behavior trajectories.

Main Methods:

• Longitudinal data from 744 Canadian participants in the MATCH study (ages 11-18).
• Self-reported data on consumption of vegetables, fruits, sugary beverages, fast foods, and breakfast frequency.
• Group-based multi-trajectory modeling to identify distinct developmental pathways.

Main Results:

• Three trajectories identified for girls: stable intake with declining breakfast, moderate intake with worsening behaviors, and stable high intake.
• Five trajectories identified for boys: low intake with stable breakfast, breakfast skipping with increasing fast food, low intake with declining breakfast, high intake with worsening behaviors, and average intake with high breakfast.
• Significant heterogeneity in eating behavior patterns observed across both sexes.

Conclusions:

• Adolescent eating behaviors follow varied and distinct trajectories throughout development.
• Subgroup-specific strategies are likely necessary to promote healthy eating habits in adolescents.
• These findings highlight the need for tailored public health approaches to adolescent nutrition.