Offering a wide variety of snacks encourages children to eat more

A new study found that offering children a wide variety and large amounts of snack foods encourages them to eat more – and this practice can contribute to Australia's weight problem.

The research, led by the Murdoch Children's Research Institute and published in the latest International Journal of Obesity, also revealed that the way snacks are presented (in a large or a small container) There is little influence on the amount of snacks children enjoy.

Researcher Dr. Jessica Kerr stated that their study revealed that container sizes did not affect children significantly, as food consumption was primarily driven by the amount and variety of snacks available.

Nutritionists and public health officials have launched a popular movement to replace large dishes with smaller versions to encourage people to make healthier decisions. But we found that the size of the dishes had very little effect on the amount of food consumed. "

Dr. Jessica Kerr, Senior Researcher, Murdoch Children Research Institute

Dr. Kerr said that while overconsumption of snack foods is an important factor in obesity, most people do not recognize the impact it has on their calorie intake.

"Children and adults should only occasionally eat high-energy snacks – they do not need to be part of the daily energy intake," she said. "But the reality is that Australians typically derive about 30 to 40 percent of their energy intake from snacks."

Dr. Kerr said that three times more children in Australia were overweight or obese compared to 30 years ago.

"About 20% (1 in 5) of children are overweight or obese," she said. "There are many complications related to overweight in children, such as type 2 diabetes, orthopedic and respiratory disorders, liver problems and sleep apnea."

Dr. Kerr said that until now, studies on nibbling behavior were limited by self-reported data or small sample sizes.

"Previous food studies have focused on the main meals," said Dr. Kerr. "It is important to determine on a larger scale how the size of the dishes and the amount, variety and energy density of snacks affect the behavior of snacks of children and adults when they are separated from one another by out of the family environment, "she said.

For the study, participants ate during a 15-minute break between 20 other health check-ups at Child Check CheckPoint, which looked at the health of 1,800 children aged 11 to 12 years old and their parents, depending on various factors related to physical activity. to sleep.

Children and parents were provided with a snack box containing non-perishable items such as crackers, cheese, a muesli bar, cookies, a peach pot and chocolate.

The quantity / number and variety of snack foods and the size of the containers in which the food was presented varied. Children and parents ate separately and at different times.

The researchers recorded the amount of food left by each child and parent in the box and calculated the total number of grams and kilojoules consumed.

"The children who were offered more snacks consumed a lot more energy and a slightly larger food mbad.The manipulation of the size of the box / container had little effect on consumption" , she said.

Dr. Kerr stated that adults were more aware that they were being observed and that this could affect their eating behavior.

Dr. Kerr said additional research should be conducted with parents and community leaders to better understand the use and purpose of snacks in the face of time constraints, marketing and child preferences.

"While there is sometimes room for snacks to narrow the gaps between main meals, our results reinforce calls to educate parents and schools about snacks and quantities of food at home." to give to children, "she said.

"Our research indicates that more attention and resources should be devoted to providing children with smaller amounts of food and, in particular, fewer and fewer choices of energy – and food – rich foods. pre-packaged items, interventions should not only invest in reducing the size of the dishes This is expected to result in a reduction in snack food consumption. "