Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Original Article
  • Published:

Dietary pattern as a predictor of change in BMI z-score among girls

International Journal of Obesity volume 30, pages 176–182 (2006)Cite this article

Abstract

Objectives:

To describe child and adolescent dietary patterns and to determine associations between childhood dietary pattern and longitudinal change in body mass index (BMI) z-score among girls.

Population and methods:

Healthy girls (n=101) aged 8–12 years at baseline and 11–19 years at follow-up participated in a longitudinal study of growth and development. Participants kept 7-day dietary records at two points in time. We incorporated time of day, frequency, and amount of energy consumed (defined as percentage of total energy consumed per dietary event) when characterizing dietary patterns.

Results:

Girls ate an average of 4–5 times per day and consumed most energy in the afternoon and in the evening/night, rather than in the morning. After controlling for baseline BMI, the mean percentage of daily energy consumed in the evening/night was positively associated with change in BMI z-score (P=0.039). Eating between 4.0 and 5.9 times per day overall and no more than 1.9 times in the evening/night daily were negatively associated with change in BMI z-score (P=0.002 and 0.047, respectively), after controlling for baseline BMI z-score.

Discussion:

Recommendations to decrease the percentage of energy coming from the evening/night meal and the number of dietary events to no more than six times per day and two times in the evening/night should be evaluated in future longitudinal investigations.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. Storey ML, Forshee RA, Weaver AR, Sansalone WR . Demographic and lifestyle factors associated with body mass index among children and adolescents. Int J Food Sci Nutr 2003; 54 (6): 491–503.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Green M . Differences in snack intake among overweight and normal weight children. Abstract. Paper presented at the American Public Health Association Public Health and the Environment conference, November 2004. Washington, DC.

  3. Davis-Ritchie L, Knehans AW, Evans A, Kelsey K, Gerstein DE, Woodward-Lopez GM et al. Role of meal and snack patterns in the prevention of obesity: implications for environmental change. Abstract. Paper presented at the American Public Health Association Public Health and the Environment conference, November 2004. Washington, DC.

  4. Bell AC, Swinburn BA . What are the key food groups to target for preventing obesity and improving nutrition in schools? Eur J Clin Nutr 2004; 58 (2): 258–263.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Phillips SM, Bandini LG, Naumova EN, Cyr H, Colclough S, Dietz WH et al. Energy-dense snack food intake in adolescence: longitudinal relationship to weight and fatness. Obes Res 2004; 12: 461–472.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Berkey CS, Rocket HR, Gillamn MW, Field AE, Colditz GA . Longitudinal study of skipping breakfast and weight change in adolescents. Int J Obes Relat Metab Disord 2003; 27 (10): 1258–1266.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  7. Nicklas TA, Yang SJ, Baranowski T, Zakeri I, Berenson G . Eating patterns and obesity in children. The Bogalusa Heart Study. Am J Prev Med 2003; 25 (1): 9–15.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  8. Morgan KJ, Johnson SR, Stamply GL . Children's frequency of eating, total sugar intake, and weight/height stature. Nutr Res 1983; 3: 635–652.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  9. Summerbell CD, Moody RC, Shanks J, Stock MJ, Geissler C . Relationship between feeding pattern and body mass index in 220 free-living people in four age groups. Eur Clin Nutr 1996; 50 (8): 513–519.

    CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Gatenby SJ . Eating frequency: methodological and dietary aspects. Br J Nutr 1997; 77 (Suppl 1): S7–20.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  11. Dodd DK . Snacking, aversive imagery, and weight reduction. Percept Mot Skills 1986; 62 (1): 313–314.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  12. de Castro JM . Physiological, environmental, and subjective determinants of food intake in humans: a meal pattern analysis. Physiol Behav 1988; 44 (4-5): 651–659.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  13. Must A, Dallal GE, Dietz WH . Reference data for obesity: 85th and 95th percentiles of body mass index (wt/ht2) and triceps skinfoldthickness. Am J Clin Nutr 1991; 53: 839–846.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  14. Bandini LG, Morelli JA, Must A, Dietz WH . Accuracy of standardized equations for predicting metabolic rate in premenarcheal girls. Am J Clin Nutr 1995; 62: 711–714.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  15. Pennington JA, De Bowes A, Church HN . Bowes and church's food values of portions commonly used. Lippincott Williams & Wilkins: Philadelphia, 1997.

    Google Scholar 

  16. de Castro JM, Goldstein SJ . Eating attitudes and behaviors of pre- and postpubertal females: Clues to the etiology of eating disorders. Physiol Behav 1995; 58 (10): 15–23.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  17. Pearcey SM, de Castro JM . Food intake and meal patterns of weight-stable and weight-gaining persons. Am J Clin Nutr 2002; 76: 107–112.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  18. Dietz WH, Bellizzi MC . Introduction: the use of body mass index to assess obesity in children. Am J Clin Nutr 1999; 70 (Suppl): 123S–125S.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  19. National Center for Health Statistics. CDC growth charts: United States. Internet: http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/about/major/nhanes/growthcharts/datafiles.htm Accessed 04 February 2002.

  20. Pastore DR, Fisher M, Stanford FB . Abnormalities in weight status, eating attitudes, and eating behavior among urban high school students: correlations with self esteem and anxiety. J Adolesc Health 1996; 18: 312–319.

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by Grants M01-RR-00088 and MOI-RR-01066 from the National Center for Research Resources, National Institutes of Health, NIH Grants R01-DK50537 and 5P30-DK46200; and by an appointment to the Research Participation Program at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Nutrition, Obesity and Physical Activity, administered by the Oak Ridge Institute for Science and Education, through an interagency agreement between the United States Department of Energy and CDC. Our sincere appreciation extends to Mary Serdula, MD, MPH, for her editorial comments and suggestions; to Deborah Galuska, PhD, and other DNPA staff for their statistical advice; to the girls for their participation in the study; and to the staff at CRC for their help with the study.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Nutritional Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA

    O M Thompson

  2. Alaska Native Epidemiology Center, Anchorage, AK, USA

    C Ballew

  3. Department of Health Behavior and Health Education, School of Public Health, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA

    K Resnicow

  4. Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA, USA

    C Gillespie & W H Dietz

  5. Department of Family Medicine and Community Health, Tufts University School of Medicine, Boston, MA, USA

    A Must

  6. Department of Health Sciences, Boston University, Boston, MA, USA

    L G Bandini

  7. Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center, UMASS Medical School, Waltham, MA, USA

    L G Bandini

  8. Clinical Research Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

    H Cyr

Authors
  1. O M Thompson
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. C Ballew
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. K Resnicow
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. C Gillespie
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. A Must
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. L G Bandini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. H Cyr
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  8. W H Dietz
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to O M Thompson.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Thompson, O., Ballew, C., Resnicow, K. et al. Dietary pattern as a predictor of change in BMI z-score among girls. Int J Obes 30, 176–182 (2006). https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803072

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/sj.ijo.0803072

Keywords

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links