title: Speed of eating and 3-year BMI change: a nationwide prospective study of mid-age women.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To conduct the first nationwide population survey to examine the associations between changes in speed of eating and weight gain over 3 years. The study also explored whether faster eating at baseline was related to healthy-weight women becoming overweight after 3 years.
  
  
  METHODS
  Longitudinal. At baseline, participants were randomly selected from a nationally representative sampling frame to participate in a prospective study. Women completed self-administered baseline questionnaires on demographic and health measures. Self-reported speed of eating, smoking status, physical activity, menopause status, and height and weight were collected at baseline and again 3 years later.
  
  
  METHODS
  Nationwide study, New Zealand.
  
  
  METHODS
  Women (n 1601) aged 40-50 years were recruited at baseline from New Zealand electoral rolls.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There was no evidence of associations between 3-year BMI adjusting for baseline BMI and either baseline speed of eating (slower and faster; P=0.524) or change in speed of eating (consistently faster eating, consistently slower eating, slower eating at baseline but not at 3 years, faster eating at baseline but not at 3 years; P=0.845). Of the 488 women with healthy BMI (18.5 to <25.0 kg/m2) at baseline, seventy-seven (15.8%) became overweight (BMI≥25.0 kg/m2) after 3 years. Compared with those who were slower eaters at baseline, faster eating at baseline did not increase the risk of becoming overweight 3 years later (P=0.958) nor did change in speed of eating (P=0.236).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Results suggest that once women have reached mid-life, faster eating does not predict further weight gain.
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Human Nutrition,University of Otago,Dunedin 9054,New Zealand.
authors.forename: Sook Ling
authors.initials: SL
authors.lastname: Leong
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Preventive and Social Medicine,University of Otago,Dunedin,New Zealand.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.affiliation: 1Department of Human Nutrition,University of Otago,Dunedin 9054,New Zealand.
authors.forename: Caroline C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Horwath
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002149:Energy Intake; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008875:Middle Aged; D009043:Motor Activity; D009520:New Zealand / Q000453:epidemiology; D050177:Overweight / Q000453:epidemiology*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D015430:Weight Gain
keywords: Longitudinal study; Mid-age women; Speed of eating