To investigate the associations of dietary factors with overweight, body fat percentage (BF%), waist circumference (WC) and hip circumference (HC) among children.
Cross-sectional analysis of the Physical Activity and Nutrition in Children (PANIC) Study among 510 children (263 boys, 247 girls) aged 6-8 years from Kuopio, Finland.
The children's weight, height, WC and HC were measured. Overweight was defined by International Obesity Task Force body mass index cutoffs. The BF% was measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, nutrient intakes and meal frequency by 4-day food records and eating behaviour by Children's Eating Behaviour Questionnaire.
Daily consumption of all the three main meals was inversely associated with overweight (odds ratio (OR) 0.37, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.18-0.75), BF% (ß -0.12, P = 0.012), WC (ß -0.16, P = 0.002) and HC (ß -0.15, P = 0.002). Enjoyment of food, food responsiveness and emotional overeating were directly associated with overweight (OR 1.57, 95% CI 1.04-2.35; OR 4.68, 95% CI 2.90-7.54; OR 2.60, 95% CI 1.52-4.45, respectively), BF% (ß 0.13, P = 0.004; ß 0.30, P