title: Is what Filipino children eat between meals associated with body mass index?
abstract: The study aimed to assess the association between childhood obesity and snacking. A total of 396 students in grades 4 to 6 enrolled in an elementary school in the Philippines were the participants in this study. Demographic profile; anthropometric measures of height, weight, body mass index; and information about snacking were gathered. Obese group had statistically more servings of sweetened drinks and low-quality snacks. Female obese subjects have statistically more servings at nighttime and greater total snack servings. For the whole cohort, the odds ratio of being overweight with high total snack servings was 2.12 (95% confidence interval = 1.25-3.62) whereas the odds ratio of being obese with calories obtained from snacking was 2.08 (95% confidence interval = 1.01-4.26). Nighttime snacks and bad-quality foods should be minimized. Moreover, reducing food portions at any snack time will protect children from being overweight.
authors.affiliation: University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines bebetsuarez61@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Consuelo B
authors.initials: CB
authors.lastname: Gonzalez-Suarez
authors.affiliation: University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Lee-Pineda
authors.affiliation: University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines.
authors.forename: Nenita D
authors.initials: ND
authors.lastname: Caralipio
authors.affiliation: University of South Australia, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
authors.forename: Karen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Grimmer-Somers
authors.affiliation: University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines.
authors.forename: Eleanor O
authors.initials: EO
authors.lastname: Sibug
authors.affiliation: University of Santo Tomas, Manila, Philippines.
authors.forename: Zenaida F
authors.initials: ZF
authors.lastname: Velasco
mesh_terms: D000886:Anthropometry; D015992:Body Mass Index; D001835:Body Weight; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009765:Obesity; D050177:Overweight; D010679:Philippines; D012307:Risk Factors; D062410:Snacks
keywords: Filipino children; body mass index; childhood obesity; overweight; snacking