Eating patterns and childhood obesity

Authors: Moreno, LA; Bueno, G
Title:
Source: CHILDHOOD OBESITY: FROM BASIC SCIENCES TO PUBLIC HEALTH, 121-132 2004
Keywords: eating patterns; snacks; obesity; child; food portions; fast foods
KeyWords Plus: BODY-MASS INDEX; FOOD RESTAURANT USE; NATIONAL-HEALTH; ENERGY-INTAKE; DIET QUALITY; US CHILDREN; DRINK CONSUMPTION; VEGETABLE INTAKE; NUTRIENT INTAKE; UNITED-STATES
Abstract:
The prevalence of childhood overweight and obesity has increased in the majority of the countries in the last decades. Over this period, the food and home environments have changed tremendously. Environmental influences that affect eating behaviours include the changing nature of the food supply; increased reliance on foods consumed away from home; food advertising, marketing, and promotion; and food prices. For the analysis of eating patterns, we can consider a variety of aspects that include the Pattern of meals intake and the frequency of meat intake, snacking habits, beverage consumption, portion sizes, the frequency of restaurant food consumption and the dietary quality.
To describe eating patterns in overweight and obese children and adolescents will be relevant not only in terms of causality of obesity, but also in terns of the knowledge and understanding of the eating behaviour in the childhood obese individuals. It is unlikely that changes in energy intakes, through increased consumption of fast foods, snacks, and soft drinks, have been solely responsible for the increase in body weights in children. Research has shown that low physical activity and high television viewing are also associated with overweight. The additive effects of these two small changes from traditional behaviour can theoretically lead to large effects on body weight and composition. Concerted public health efforts are needed to achieve the healthy objectives for obesity and nutrition and to fight the childhood obesity epidemic.
Reprints: MORENO LA,UNIV ZARAGOZA,ESCUELA UNIV CIENCIAS SALUD;C DOMINGO MIRAL S-N;E-50009 ZARAGOZA, SPAIN.
[email protected]
Research
Institutions: Univ Zaragoza, Escuela Univ Ciencias Salud, E-50009 Zaragoza, Spain.
Discipline: CURRENT BOOK CONTENTS
CURRENT BOOK CONTENTS

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