BACKGROUND Snacking contributes to excessive energy intakes in children. Yet factors shaping child snacking are virtually unstudied. This study examines food parenting practices specific to child snacking among low-income caregivers. METHODS Semi-structured interviews were conducted in English or Spanish with 60 low-income caregivers of preschool-aged children (18 non-Hispanic white, 22 Afric...

Obesity has a heritable component; however, the heterogeneity of obesity complicates dissection of its genetic background. In this study, we therefore focused on eating patterns as specific traits within obesity. These traits have a heritable component; genes associated with a specific eating pattern have not yet been reported at the population level. In this study, we determined whether geneti...

Adolescents eating behaviours have come in the limelight because of the unconventional meals, fast-food intake, and snacking. This study was therefore undertaken to appraise and understand eating behaviours of secondary school adolescents in Mauritius. Data were collected randomly from a representative sample (n=384) of adolescents via a self-administered questionnaire and analysed statisticall...

There is now considerable evidence that eating habits are moving away from consumption of a few large meals a day to a pattern that involves more frequent consumption of smaller amounts of food (snacking). The main aim of the present study was to consider the relationship between snacking habits and mental health and cognitive performance. The above issues were examined in four samples: one fro...

INTRODUCTION Snacking is a complex behavior that may be influenced by entertainment media. Research suggests that snacking and unhealthy foods are commonly shown in programming that targets young audiences, but shows selected for study have been limited. We conducted a content analysis on shows that were named as favorites by adolescents to characterize portrayals of snacking on popular televis...

BACKGROUND While the role of parenting in children's eating behaviors has been studied extensively, less attention has been given to its potential association with children's snacking habits. To address this gap, we conducted a systematic review to describe associations between food parenting and child snacking, or consuming energy dense foods/foods in between meals. METHODS Six electronic da...

Snacking is an integral component of eating habits in young children that is often overlooked in nutrition research. While snacking is a substantial source of calories in preschoolers' diets, there is limited knowledge about the factors that drive snacking patterns. The genetics of taste may help to better understand the snacking patterns of children. The rs1761667 single nucleotide polymorphis...

BACKGROUND Discretionary eating behaviour ("snacking") is dependent on internal and external cues. Individual differences in the effects of these cues suggest that some people are more or less likely to snack in certain situations than others. Previous research is limited to laboratory-based experiments or survey-based food recall. This study for the first time examines everyday snacking using ...

PURPOSE To determine how snacking level impacts intake of nutrients and food groups and assists in meeting recommendations outlined in the U.S. Department of Agriculture's MyPyramid Food Guidance System. METHODS Dietary data based on 24-hour recall from 4357 adolescents 12-19 years of age participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2001-2004 (NHANES) were analyzed. R...

Inconsistencies in measurements of food parenting practices continue to exist. Fundamental to this problem is the lack of clarity about what is understood by different concepts of food parenting practices. The purpose of this study was to clarify food parenting practice concepts related to snacking. A three round Delphi study among an international group of experts (n = 63) was conducted. In th...