Energy intake and snack choice by the meal patterns of employed people
Open accessAbstract
The aim of this study was to provide descriptive information on meal and snack patterns and to investigate snacks in relation to energy intake and food choice according to the meal patterns of employed people in Korea. 683 employed people (292 males, 391 females) were interviewed to collect one day dietary data by using 24-h dietary recall. A recorded day was divided into 3 meal and 3 snack periods by the respondent's criteria and the time of consumption. To analyze the eating pattern participants were divided as the more frequent snack eaters (MFSE) and the less frequent snack eaters (LFSE). They were also categorized into 6 groups according to the frequency of all eating occasions. The common meal pattern in nearly half of the subjects (47.6%) was composed of three meals plus one or two snacks per day. A trend of an increasing the number of snacks in between main meals emerges, although the conventional meal pattern is still retained in most employed Korean adults. Women, aged 30-39, and urban residents, had a higher number of being MFSE than LFSE. Increasing eating occasions was associated with higher energy, protein, and carbohydrate intakes, with the exception of fat intakes. 16.8% of the total daily energy intake came from snack consumption, while the 3 main meals contributed 83.2%. Energy and macronutrient intakes from snacks in the MFSE were significantly higher than the LFSE. Instant coffee was the most popular snack in the morning and afternoon, whereas heavy snacks and alcohol were more frequently consumed by both of the meal skipper groups (</=2M+2,3S and </=2M+0,1S) in the evening. In conclusion, meal pattern is changing to reflect an increase of more snacks between the three main meals. Meal and snack patterns may be markers for the energy and macronutrient intakes of employed people in Korea.
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Another study reported no association between snacking between meals and diet quality, and Kim & Kim found that a HEI score significantly decreased according to each increased quartile of a snack-dominant eating score.
“Conversely, another study reported no association between snacking between meals and diet quality( 91 ), and Kim & Kim( 83 ) found that a HEI score significantly decreased according to each increased quartile of a snack-dominant eating score (high snack frequency and low meal frequency) (P< 0·01).”
From Understanding meal patterns: definitions, methodology and impact on nutrient intake and diet quality (2015) · cites this paper as [83]
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- Authors
- Kim, S.-Y., & Kim, S. M.
- Affiliations
- Gyeongsang National University (KR)
- Corresponding author
- Kim, Seok-Young
- ORCID
- Kim, Seok-Young
- Venue
- Nutrition Research and Practice
- Published
- 2010
- Volume
- 4
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 43
- ISSN
- 1976-1457 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC2830414
- OpenAlex
- W2096307528
- Cited by
- 18
- References
- 34
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2024: 1 · 2020: 1 · 2019: 1 · 2018: 1 · 2017: 3 · 2016: 1 · 2015: 2 · 2014: 1 · 2013: 2 · 2012: 3
- FWCI
- 1.82
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Nutrition Research and Practice (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Nursing › Nutrition and Dietetics › Nutrition, Health and Food Behavior
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Nutritional Studies and Diet
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Physiology › Dietary Effects on Health
- Keywords
- meal patterns, snacking, energy intake, macronutrient intake, meal frequency, working adults, Korean adults, instant coffee, alcohol consumption, meal skipping, dietary habits
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