Nutr Res Pract.  2010 Feb;4(1):43-50.

Energy intake and snack choice by the meal patterns of employed people

• Kim SY
• Kim SM

Abstract

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 (< or =2M+2,3S and < or =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.

Keyword

Snack; meal; energy intake; meal pattern

MeSH Terms

Adult
Aged
Coffee
Eating
Energy Intake
Female
Humans
Korea
Male
Meals
Porphyrins
Snacks
Coffee
Porphyrins

Figure

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  Fig. 1 Correspondence analysis plot of eight snack categories and snack foods consumed in the morning, afternoon, and evening. A: Morning snack of the 3M+3S, B: Afternoon snack of the 3M+3S, C: Evening snack of the 3M+3S, D1): Morning snack of the 3M+2S, E: Afternoon snack of the 3M+2S, F: Evening snack of the 3M+2S, G: Morning snack of the 3M+1S, H: Afternoon snack of the 3M+1S, I: Evening snack of the 3M+1S, J: Morning snack of the ≤2M+2,3S, K: Afternoon snack of the ≤2M+2,3S, L: Evening snack of the ≤2M+2,3S, M: Morning snack of the ≤2M+0,1S, N: Afternoon snack of the ≤2M+0,1S, O: Evening snack of the ≤2M+0,1S, 1: Fruit/Vegetable, 2: Coffee, 3: Tea/Beverage, 4: Milk/Dairy product, 5: Carbohydrate-rich food, 6: Light snack, 7: Heavy snack, 8: Alcohol. 1)The position of the "D" covers that of the "N" which was not shown on the figure.

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