Daily Snacking Occasions and Weight Status Among US Children Aged 1 to 5 Years

OBJECTIVE: To characterize associations of snacking frequency with weight status among US children aged 1 to 5 years. METHODS: Participants were children (n = 4,669) aged 1 to 5 years in the 2005 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Snacking was assessed by two 24‐hour dietary recalls using definitions that considered “snack” occasions as well as other foods/beverages consumed between meals. Overweight/obesity (OW/OB) was defined using percentile cutoffs: ≥ 97.7th weight‐for‐length (< 2 years) cutoff and the ≥ 85th BMI‐for‐age (≥ 2 years) cutoff. Linear/logistic regressions evaluated snacking based on daily occasions and relative to current recommendations (two to three snacks per day). RESULTS: During 2005 to 2014, US children aged 1 to 5 years consumed, on average, two to three snacks daily. Children with normal weight in both age groups tended to snack less frequently than children with OW/OB when considering all foods/beverages eaten between meals (P < 0.01‐0.12). Across most snacking definitions, children < 2 years who snacked more frequently than recommended had greater odds of having OW/OB (P < 0.01‐0.12) and consumed greater daily snack energy than those who snacked within recommendations (all P < 0.01). Recommendations did not clearly delineate weight status among children aged 2 to 5 years. CONCLUSIONS: Snacking frequency and weight are positively associated among US children 1 to 5 years old, with most consistent associations seen among children < 2 years old and when considering all foods/beverages consumed between meals.