Is brand visibility on snacks packages affecting their consumption in children? Results from an experimental ad-libitum study

The aims of the study were to assess the effects of the brand when snacking in children 6-11 years old and to evaluate the effect of different levels of brand awareness on children's intake. A 3x2 factorial design was adopted, and 96 children were randomized based on their brand awareness scores, assessed using the IBAI instrument and the study was conducted over two experimental sessions. First, 11 snacks were presented to the half of children laying on their own branded packages, whilst to the other half unbranded. In a second afternoon break, on a different day, the condition of branded/unbranded was crossed-over. Children were randomized in three groups based on combinations of concomitant TV and advertising exposure. Caloric intake (Kcal) of snacks eaten during sessions was taken as the main study outcome. No significant differences in energy intake were recorded according to brand visibility, both in children with high and low brand awareness. Exposure to TV and advertising showed no significant association with energy intake in the different groups and with the likelihood of being a high consumer. The present study suggested that brand visibility did not promote a higher caloric intake in 6-11 years old children during a snacking occasion(AU)

Los objetivos del estudio fueron el evaluar los efectos de las marcas comerciales durante una merienda en niños de entre 6 y 11 años de edad, así como analizar el efecto de diferentes niveles de conciencia de marca en el consumo de los niños. Se utilizó un diseño factorial 3x2, y se asignó al azar a 96 niños según sus puntuaciones de conciencia de marca, que fueron evaluados mediante el instrumento IBAI. El estudio se realizó en dos sesiones experimentales. En primer lugar, se presentaron 11 bocadillos (alimentos), a la mitad de los niños colocando en sus propios paquetes de marca, mientras que a la otra mitad sin marca. En un segundo recreo de la tarde, otro día, se realizó un cruce en la condición de bocadillos de marca y sin marca. Los niños fueron asignados al azar en tres grupos, según combinaciones concomitantes de exposición a la televisión y a pautas publicitarias. La ingesta calórica (Kcal) de bocadillos consumidos durante las sesiones se adoptó como principal resultado del estudio. No se registraron diferencias significativas en el consumo de energía dependiendo de la visibilidad de la marca, ni en los niños con un alto o bajo reconocimiento de marcas. La exposición a la televisión y a la publicidad no mostró una asociación significativa con el consumo de energía en los diferentes grupos y ni con la probabilidad de ser un gran consumidor. El presente estudio sugiere que la visibilidad de las marcas no promueve una mayor ingesta calórica en niños de entre 6 y 11 años de edad en el contexto de una merienda(AU)

The effects of daily intake timing of almond on the body composition and blood lipid profile of healthy adults

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: Timing of almond intake during a day may result differently in the perspectives of body composition and changes of lipid profile. The current study was conducted to compare the effects of daily almond intake as a preload versus as a snack on body composition, blood lipid profile, and oxidative and inflammation indicators among young Korean adults aged 20–39 years old. SUBJECTS/METHODS: Participants were randomly assigned to one of three groups: a pre-meal almond group (PM), a snack almond group (SN) in which participants were instructed to consume 56 g of almonds either as a preload before meals or as a snack between meals, respectively, and a control group (CL) in which participants were provided high-carbohydrate iso-caloric control food. Measurements were performed at baseline, weeks 8 and 16. RESULTS: A total of 169 (M 77/F 92) out of the 227 participants completed the study between June 2014 and June 2015 (n = 58 for PM; 55 for SN; and 56 for CL). A significant decrease in body fat mass was observed in the PM group at both weeks 8 and 16 compared with the CL. There were significant intervention effects on changes of body fat mass (P = 0.025), body fat percentages (P = 0.019), and visceral fat levels (P < 0.001). Consuming almonds as a daily snack reduced the levels of total cholesterol (P = 0.043) and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (P = 0.011) without changing high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol compared with the CL. CONCLUSION: Almond consumption as a preload modified body fat percentages, whereas snacking on almonds between meals improved blood lipid profiles. This trial was registered at ClinicalTrials.gov as NCT03014531.

Association between snacking and obesity in children: a review.

Snacking is consumption of food and drinks between meals, which has contradict perception toward intake quality of the children. This study aim to inform the readers how snacking associated with weigh gain in the children. This data was collected from published papers between January 2004 to 2014 used Google scholar and PubMed databases. The articles were limited to English language only which focus on snacking, obesity and children as keywords. Snacking has great influence to the diet quality of the children particularly body mass index (BMI). Those who ate snack with large portion and size more frequently will have high risk to be obesity conversely those who eat snack without hungry feel will improve diet quality in children. Snacking is not only independent factor that contribute to the weight gain in children but it also has positive impact to the diet quality. Further investigation needed to find the clear understanding of influence or association of snacking toward weight gain.

Sleep Duration Pattern among Workers in a Tertiary Institution

Sleep has played a very important role in maintaining our health with good living quality therefore the aim of this study is to determine the pattern of sleep duration, especially short sleep and its associated factors among workers in a tertiary institution. A cross-sectional study was conducted from January until May 2012 among 128 randomly selected Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Medical Centre (UKMMC) staffs. Data was collected using a guided standardized data sheet which consist of three sections; (1):sociodemographic &socioeconomic, (2): lifestyle and, (3): anthropometric measurement and sleep diary. Data entry and analysis were done using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0. Majority of the staffs had normal sleep duration (67.2%) followed by short sleep duration (26.6%) and long sleep duration (6.3%). Simple logistic regression analysis indicated that late night snacking was significantly related to short sleep (cOR=3.47, 95% CI: 1.12, 12.23, p=0.048). Adequate sleep is important to maintain one’s health. Steps can be taken to limit late night snacking in order to improve the sleep pattern in this study population.​

Structural relations of late night snacking choice attributes and health promotion behaviors according to dietary style of industrial workers

BACKGROUND/OBJECTIVES: This research was conducted to develop a construct model regarding the dietary style, late night snacking choice attributes and health promotion behaviors of industrial workers. SUBJECTS/METHODS: The surveys were collected during the period between January and February 2013. A statistical analysis of 888 industrial workers was conducted using SPSS 12.0 for Windows and SEM (Structural Equation Model) using AMOS (Analysis of Moment Structure) 5.0 statistics package. RESULTS: The results of the correlations between all variables showed significant positive correlations (P < 0.05). Results of factors analysis on dietary styles were categorized into five factors and health promotion behaviors were categorized into four. The reliability of these findings was supported by a Cronbach's alpha coefficient of 0.6 and higher for all other factors. After obtaining the factors from processing an exploratory factor analysis and the end results supported the validity. In an attempt to study the late night snacking choice attributes in accordance to dietary styles and the health promotion behaviors of industrial workers, a structural equation model was constructed and analyzed. CONCLUSIONS: All tests proved the model satisfied the recommended levels of the goodness on fit index, and thus, the overall research model was proved to be appropriate.

Snacking pattern of residents of Vadodara: a pilot study.

Obesity has reached epidemic proportions globally and is a major contributor to the global burden of chronic diseases. Dietary factors are the major modifiable factors through which many of the external forces promoting weight gain act. Thus, with the objective of examining the snacking pattern of the people living in Vadodara city, a cross-sectional study was conducted among the urban population of Vadodara city. In all 60 households were surveyed, 15 from each ward representing each zone. Qualitative data was collected in a pre-structured questionnaire by interviewing the subjects through house to house visits. Data was analyzed using Microsoft Excel package. The prevalence of overweight and obesity by Asia pacific classification was found to be 21.7% and 48.3% respectively. The major type of snacks consumed by the people was found to be shallow fried foods, bakery products and deep fried foods. Thus, there is a need to promote healthy snacking habits among the people of Vadodara.

Comparison of Life Style, School Achievement and Snaking Behaviors among Underweight and Overweight Adolescents

The purpose of this study was to obtain information related to life style characteristics, school achievement and snacking behaviors among underweight and overweight adolescents in Ulsan area. The survey was carried out by self-questionnaires with 464 adolescents (333 underweight and 131 overweight). The results were as follows: Average BMI of the subjects was 19.81+/-3.10 kg/m2 which was normal range, but average BMI of underweight and overweight were 16.90+/-1.19 kg/m2 and 25.38+/-2.16 kg/m2 respectively. The 49.5% of underweight and 94.7% of overweight students have correct perception about their body image. In the sleeping time, 58.9% of underweight and 66.4% of overweight students go to bed after PM 12 o'clock. In the regularity of eating breakfast, 68.5% of underweight and 67.9% of overweight students skipping breakfast at least 5 times per week. 32.6% of the subjects had snack once or more a day. Underweight students had more frequently ate snack than overweight students. The criteria of choosing snack were taste (77.4%), nutrition (9.3%), and price (6.3%). Food as snack they frequently had fruits, milk & milk products, cookies in order. Underweight students had more dodkboki & sundae, candy & chocolate and cake & bread than overweight students, although overweight students had more milk & yogurt than underweight students. The group who had a higher school record, they significantly had more fruits, milk & milk products (p < 0.01) and had not less nutritious foods (p < 0.001). This study may provide basic information on weight status, sleeping and snacking behaviors of adolescents. Therefore they should have nutrition education program to improve their life style and snacking patterns for underweight and overweight adolescents toward healthy weight.

Nutrition Label Use, Self-Efficacy, Snacking and Eating Behavior of Middle School Students in Kyunggi Area / 대한지역사회영양학회지

This study was designed to examine nutrition label use, self-efficacy, snacking and eating behaviors of middle school students, and to investigate if these characteristics were different by nutrition label use. A cross-sectional survey was conducted to 348 middle school students in Kyunggi, Korea. About a third of subjects read nutrition labels when they purchased snacks/packaged foods. Most nutrition label users were interested in reading information on calories, fat and trans-fat. Self-efficacy of eating/selecting snacks or general nutrition behavior was moderate (mean score: 44.4 out of 60), with significantly higher score in nutrition label users compared to nonusers (p < 0.001). Nutrition label users felt more confident in 9 items out of 15 items of self-efficacy, such as "taking fruits instead of cookies/candy for snack" (p < 0.001), "choosing milk instead of soft drink" (p < 0.01), "not having snacks after dinner" and "avoiding processed foods for snacks" (p < 0.05). Subjects had snacks 1.3 times a day, and nutrition label nonusers consumed snacks more frequently than the counterparts (p < 0.01). About 55% of nutrition label users and 64.7% of nonusers mainly purchased snacks for themselves (p < 0.05). Commonly purchased snacks by adolescents were ice cream, cookies/chips, breads and ramen. Major considerations in purchasing snacks were taste (46.9%) and price (34.6%). In selecting snacks, the influence of friends and parents was greater than the other sources. Based on eating frequency of snacks, nutrition label users were more likely to consume healthy snacks, such as fruit juices, vegetables, milk, yogurt, and potato/sweet potato than nonusers (p < 0.05). Eating behaviors measured by 15 items scored 33.6 out of 45. Nutrition label users showed better eating behaviors, such as "eating meals slowly", "eating foods cooked with plant oil", and "eating out less frequently" (p < 0.05). Study results showed that majority of adolescents did not read nutrition labels, selected snacks for themselves and had somewhat unhealthy foods for snacks. This study also showed the differences in self-efficacy, snacking and eating behaviors between nutrition label users and nonusers. In nutrition education, it is necessary to stress the importance and skills for reading nutrition labels. It is also needed to help adolescents to select healthy snacks and have desirable eating behaviors, as well as increasing self-efficacy.

Food Habits and Eating Snack Behaviors of Middle School Students in Ulsan Area

This study has been carried out to obtain information related to food habits and snacking behaviors including health related behaviors. The subjects were 300 middle school students (144 boys and 156 girls). The results were as follows: Average height and weight of boys were 162.3 cm and 54.1 kg respectively. Those of girls were 159.8 cm and 49.0 kg respectively. 59.0% of the subjects of the subjects had 10,000-30,000 won as monthly allowances and their subjective health condition was good (55.7%). In the regularity of meal, 47.0% of the subjects had twice a day, the main reason for skipping meal was insufficient time to eat due to oversleep (54.3%). Most of the subjects (75.0%) had a prejudice in food selection because of a bad taste. 62.0% of the subjects ate snack between meals more than three times a week, because they were hungry, good taste and habitual. The criteria of choosing snack were taste, nutrition and quality of food. Food as snacks they frequently had fruits, milk and milk products, cookies, chocolate in order. Boys had more french fries than girls, girls had more fruits, cookies and chocolate than boys. Average food habit score of boys (49.27 +/- 7.53) was higher than that of girls (48.54 +/- 7.81). The group who had a higher food habit score, they had more fruits and less soft drink as snacks, lower BMI, and also less monthly allowance than the group who had a lower food habit score. This study may provide basic information on eating habits of middle school students, suggests that nutrition education or counseling can improve food habits and develop positive behaviors toward healthy diets.

Snacking Behaviors of Middle and High School Students in Seoul / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The purpose of this study was to investigate snacking behavior in adolescents. We selected one middle school and one high school in 11 school districts in Seoul. The subjects were 1,813 students (904 boys and 909 girls) in 21 schools (11 middle schools and 10 high schools). Subjects reported their snacking behavior: snack frequency, snack type, snack time, with whom to eat snack, place to purchase snack. The subjects were classified into four groups by gender and schooling. The mean snack frequency was 2.8. Girls ate snacks more frequently than boys (p < 0.001). More than half of subjects ate 1 to 3 snacks a day. Only 9.3% of them did not eat any snack. Tangerine was highly ranked in snack type. Each subject groups had different snack time (p < 0.01) and type of snack (p < 0.001). Most snack was consumed alone (46.6%), however they mainly ate fruits and other foods with family. 46.9% of snacks were purchased outside. A typical snack time was 'before dinner' for most snacks except fruits. Unhealthy foods like soft drinks, cookies, chips, candies, chocolates, ice creams had relatively high proportion in snack consumption with friends. In conclusion, adolescents had different snacking behaviors by their age and gender. These results indicate necessities of multi-dimensional efforts at home, school, media and government level considering adolescents' age and gender for their healthy snacking behavior.

Analysis of Weight Maintenance Behavior among Female University Students / 대한지역사회영양학회지

Since the 1980's, despite the conclusion of a number of studies in Western countries focusing upon weight maintenance there has been no similar research in Korea which takes into account the contrasts of culture and eating habits between east and west. In order to identify eating, snacking and exercise behaviors, 24 female university students who have maintained weight for at least a year were enrolled for an 11 day study. Participants were required to sign into the program and complete the questionnaire, answering questions by concerning what they ate and did everyday. After excluding unanswered questions, data over 11 days were exported into the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet, then both ANOVA and Kendall's tau correlation were applied with SPSS. 75% of weight maintainers had normal BMI (18-23.5) in relation to Korean standard, and appeared to eat a main meal smaller than moderate in portion size. Only two days showed that amount of breakfast eaten negatively correlated with lunch (p < 0.05), while no correlations between amounts of lunch and dinner eaten over all study period. Compared with breakfast or lunch, dinner was usually larger in portion size, but some variables such as TV viewing, restaurant meals, number of people at dinner table seemed not correlated with amount of dinner eaten. In addition, the weight-maintainers reported they rarely consumed snacks or sweetened beverages. Unlike their western counterparts, few participants reported that they took part in regular exercise during the day, which may lead us to the conclusion that these young female weight maintainers seem to maintain their weight with eating behaviours such as 'eat small portion', 'avoid snacking' and 'avoid soft drinks' rather than doing regular exercise. The study did not include a control group, and was foreshortened due to technical difficulties so it may be necessary to repeat the study while considering these two points.

Obesity and its association with diets and sedentary life style among school children in Seoul, Korea: Compliance with Dietary References Intakes for Koreans food guides

This study compared obese children's food group intakes with the new Dietary References Intakes for Koreans (KDRIs) food guides for 5th-6th grade school children. This study also determined the extent of sedentary life styles related with obesity in this area of children. This is a cross-sectional study of 799 school children. The dietitian sent a survey form describing the project and a questionnaire to the subject's family. The questionnaire included child demographics, family history of chronic diseases, the daily servings of five food groups, such as grains, meat and beans, dairy products, fruits, and vegetables. The daily or weekly hours of physical activity, television viewing, and computer usage were also surveyed. Obesity index (%) of the subjects was calculated, and children with an obesity index (%) equal to or greater than 20 were classified as the obese. Among the 799 participants, 50.7% were female. The percentages of the normal and the obese were 691 (86.5%) and 108 (13.5%) respectively. Obese children reported eating less vegetables (p<0.05), more high sugar snacks (p<0.05), and high fat snacks (p<0.05) than normal children. No significant differences in food servings of grains, meats and beans, and fruits, and dairy products between the normal and the obese were shown. Obese children reported fewer hours of physical activities (p<0.05) and more hours of computer usage (p<0.05) than normal children. Girls showed less likelihood of being obese (odds ratio, 0.575, CI (0.38, 0.87), p<0.05). More hours of physical activity significantly decreased the likelihood of being obese (odds ratio, 0.572, CI (0.35, 0.92), p<0.05). Family history of obesity almost doubled the likelihood of obesity in children (odds ratio, 2.653, CI (1.660, 4.241), p<0.05). In conclusion, frequent snacking, inadequate vegetable consumption, and sedentary lifestyle increased significantly the likelihood of obesity in children, which suggest that obesity intervention in this age group should focuse more on those variables.

Comparison of Weight Control Behavior and Self-esteem between Healthy Weight and Obese Children / 대한지역사회영양학회지

The study compared eating and physical activity related behaviors and self-esteem between healthy weight and obese children by presenting 175 primary school students in Busan City and Gyeongsang province with a self-reported questionnaire and Coopersmith's self-esteem inventory. The questionnaire was composed of 25 items, weighted primarily by a Likert scale. The self-esteem inventory presented to the students comprised 25 "Yes" or "No" response questions to different statements. The study found obese children were more likely to think they always had to control their weight (p = 0.000), reportedly measuring their weights significantly more than the healthy weight children. Also the study found that obese children are significantly more likely than healthy weight children to go on a diet, however neither group were successful in losing weight as the duration of the diet in 79.5% of the total sample lasted no longer than one week. In comparison to healthy weight children, obese children reported that they consumed fewer snacks during the day, avoided snacking subsequent to an evening meal and exercised more frequently for as long as physically possible. Interestingly, we found no difference of reported self-esteem between groups, though the obese group were more likely to answer that their parents did not understand them (p = 0.055). Based on these findings, we concluded that the obese children who participated in the study were more aware of their body weights than the healthy weights children. It may be necessary to investigate further the relationship between self-esteem and participants' weights while considering other variables such as personality and body image.

THE EFFECT OF HABITUAL SNACKING ON DIET-INDUCED THERMOGENSIS IN YOUNG WOMEN / 体力科学

This study investigated the effect of habitual snacking on the diet-induced thermogenesis (DIT) in non-obese young women. Thirteen women aged 1823 yrs old were divided into two groups group one was of six women who consumed snacks; candy, cookies, chocolate, etc., “very frequently” between meals almost everyday, group two was of seven women who seldom consumed snacks. The BMI of both groups were matched (19.7±1.0kg/m<SUP>2</SUP>) . The DIT was measured 5 h after ingestion of a meal (2220 kJ=531 kcal) using the Douglas bag technique. Each subject had their DIT measured on eight occasions to obtain average DIT values because DIT had large intra-individual variability. Indeed, each subject's DIT values were markedly different (the mean intra-individual CV=39.6%) . There was no significant difference between the two groups in percentage of body fat, resting metabolic rate (RMR), or RMR/body weight. The mean value of DIT (± SD) of group one (6.4±1.2%) was lower than that of group two (7.8±0.9%) (p<0.05) . Also, the main effects of the groups and the time after ingesting the test meal on postprandial energy expenditure were significant (two-way ANOVA; p<0.001), but the interaction between the group and the time after ingesting the test meal was not significant. In conclusion, eating habits with habitual snacking blunt DIT in young women.