title: Lunch frequency among adolescents: associations with sociodemographic factors and school characteristics.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate: (i) how lunch frequency of adolescents varies between schools and between classes within schools; (ii) the associations between frequency of lunch and individual sociodemographic factors and school characteristics; and (iii) if any observed associations between lunch frequency and school characteristics vary by gender and age groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  Cross-sectional study in which students and school headmasters completed self-administered questionnaires. Associations were estimated by multilevel multivariate logistic regression.
  
  
  METHODS
  The Danish arm of the Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children study 2010.
  
  
  METHODS
  Students (n 4922) aged 11, 13 and 15 years attending a random sample of seventy-three schools.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The school-level and class-level variations in low lunch frequency were small (intraclass correlation coefficient <2·1 %). At the individual level, low lunch frequency was most common among students who were boys, 13- and 15-year-olds, from medium and low family social class, descendants of immigrants, living in a single-parent family and in a reconstructed family. School-level analyses suggested that having access to a canteen at school was associated with low lunch frequency (OR=1·47; 95% CI 1·14, 1·89). Likewise not having an adult present during lunch breaks was associated with low lunch frequency (OR=1·44; 95% CI 1·18, 1·75). Cross-level interactions suggested that these associations differed by age group.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Lunch frequency among Danish students appears to be largely influenced by sociodemographic factors. Additionally, the presence of an adult during lunch breaks promotes frequent lunch consumption while availability of a canteen may discourage frequent lunch consumption. These findings vary between older and younger students.
authors.affiliation: 1National Institute of Public Health,University of Southern Denmark,Øster Farimagsgade 5,1353 Copenhagen K,Denmark.
authors.forename: Trine Pagh
authors.initials: TP
authors.lastname: Pedersen
authors.affiliation: 1National Institute of Public Health,University of Southern Denmark,Øster Farimagsgade 5,1353 Copenhagen K,Denmark.
authors.forename: Bjørn E
authors.initials: BE
authors.lastname: Holstein
authors.affiliation: 2Centre for Intervention Research in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention,National Institute of Public Health,University of Southern Denmark,Copenhagen,Denmark.
authors.forename: Rikke
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Krølner
authors.affiliation: 1National Institute of Public Health,University of Southern Denmark,Øster Farimagsgade 5,1353 Copenhagen K,Denmark.
authors.forename: Annette Kjær
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Ersbøll
authors.affiliation: 2Centre for Intervention Research in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention,National Institute of Public Health,University of Southern Denmark,Copenhagen,Denmark.
authors.forename: Thea Suldrup
authors.initials: TS
authors.lastname: Jørgensen
authors.affiliation: 2Centre for Intervention Research in Health Promotion and Disease Prevention,National Institute of Public Health,University of Southern Denmark,Copenhagen,Denmark.
authors.forename: Anne Kristine
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Aarestrup
authors.affiliation: 3Epidemiology & Biostatistics,School of Population Health,University of Auckland,Auckland,New Zealand.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Utter
authors.affiliation: 4Centre for Physical Activity and Nutrition Research,School of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences,Deakin University,Melbourne,Victoria,Australia.
authors.forename: Sarah A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: McNaughton
authors.affiliation: 5Division of Epidemiology and Community Health,School of Public Health,University of Minnesota,Minneapolis,MN,USA.
authors.forename: Dianne
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Neumark-Stzainer
authors.affiliation: 1National Institute of Public Health,University of Southern Denmark,Øster Farimagsgade 5,1353 Copenhagen K,Denmark.
authors.forename: Mette
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rasmussen
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000294:Adolescent Behavior; D002648:Child; D016000:Cluster Analysis; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D003718:Denmark; D005247:Feeding Behavior; D005260:Female; D015438:Health Behavior; D006801:Humans; D016015:Logistic Models; D062409:Lunch; D008297:Male; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012574:Schools; D020954:Single-Parent Family; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013334:Students; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
keywords: Adolescents; Lunch; School; Sociodemographic factors