title: Association of eating frequency with anthropometric indices and blood pressure in children and adolescents: the CASPIAN-IV Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study was conducted to explore the association of eating frequency (EF) with anthropometric indices and blood pressure (BP) in children and adolescents.
  
  
  METHODS
  This nationwide cross-sectional study was performed on a multi-stage sample of 14,880 students, aged 6-18 years, living in 30 provinces in Iran. Parents were asked to report dietary intake of children as frequency of food groups and/or items. EF was defined as the sum of the daily consumption frequency of main meals and snacks. Association of EF with weight disorders, abdominal obesity, and elevated BP was assessed using different logistic regression models adjusted for potential confounding factors.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Eating more frequently (≥ 6 vs. ≤ 3) was found among students who were at younger age (11.91 vs. 13.29 years) (p<0.001). Students who reported an EF of 4 (OR: 0.67, CI: 0.57-0.79), 5 (OR: 0.74, CI: 0.62-0.87), and 6 (OR: 0.54, CI: 0.44-0.65) had lower odds of being obese compared to those who had EF ≤ 3. Having EF of 4 (OR: 0.82, CI: 0.71-0.94), 5 (OR: 0.86, CI: 0.74-0.99), and ≥ 6 (OR: 0.73, CI: 0.63-0.85) was related to lower prevalence of abdominal adiposity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Higher EF was associated with lower mean values of anthropometric and BP measures, as well as with lower prevalence of generalized and abdominal obesity in children and adolescents. Longitudinal studies are needed to assess the long-term effects of EF on body composition in the pediatric age group.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Child Growth and Development Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Roya
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Kelishadi
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Alborz University of Medical Sciences, Karaj, Iran; Department of Epidemiology, Chronic Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Population Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Mostafa
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Qorbani
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Ahvaz Jundishapur University of Medical Sciences, Ahvaz, Iran.
authors.forename: Mohammad Esmaeil
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Motlagh
authors.affiliation: Department of Epidemiology, Chronic Diseases Research Center, Endocrinology and Metabolism Population Sciences Institute, Tehran University of Medical Sciences, Tehran, Iran.
authors.forename: Ramin
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Heshmat
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Child Growth and Development Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran.
authors.forename: Gelayol
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ardalan
authors.affiliation: Department of Nutrition, Child Growth and Development Research Center, Research Institute for Primordial Prevention of Non-communicable Disease, Isfahan University of Medical Sciences, Isfahan, Iran. Electronic address: bahreynian@hlth.mui.ac.ir.
authors.forename: Maryam
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bahreynian
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D001795:Blood Pressure Determination; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D002149:Energy Intake / Q000502:physiology*; D005247:Feeding Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007492:Iran; D008297:Male; D009748:Nutrition Disorders / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
keywords: Anthropometric indices; Blood pressure; Children and adolescents; Crianças e adolescentes; Eating frequency; Frequência de alimentação; Obesidade; Obesity; Pressão arterial; Índices antropométricos