Weekday-Weekend Differences in Chrononutritional Variables Depend on Urban or Rural Living
Jefferson Souza Santos1,2, Cibele Aparecida Crispim3, Debra Jean Skene4
1Department of Health and Society, School of Public Health, University of São Paulo, São Paulo 01246-904, Brazil.
Nutrients
|January 11, 2025
Summary
Urban residents have longer eating windows on weekdays due to work and school schedules, unlike rural residents who maintain earlier, stable eating patterns. This highlights urbanization
Area of Science:
- Nutritional Science
- Chronobiology
- Public Health
Background:
- Work and school schedules influence food preferences and dietary choices.
- No prior evidence compared weekday/weekend food intake timing and composition in urban vs. rural settings.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate weekday vs. weekend differences in food intake timing and caloric composition.
- To compare these differences between urban and rural populations in Brazil.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of data from 5770 participants (aged 18-59) from the National Household Budget Survey (POF-IBGE).
- Inclusion of two distinct food diary records (weekday and weekend) per individual.
- Categorization of participants by area: urban or rural.
Main Results:
- Weekdays showed earlier first and later last food intake, extending the eating window in both urban and rural areas.
- Urban residents had later eating midpoints compared to rural residents.
- Urban dwellers exhibited a significant 7-day rhythm in first food intake time and eating window length.
Conclusions:
- Urbanization significantly influences dietary timing, creating a 7-day eating pattern linked to work/school schedules.
- Rural areas displayed more consistent and earlier eating patterns.
- Public health interventions are needed to address meal timing and circadian alignment in urban settings to prevent metabolic disorders.
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