The objective was to describe changes in meal frequencies and tracking in a teenage cohort (age 14 to 21) according to gender and explore if meal patterns were related to the educational level of the parents. In 1990 a representative selection of 924 13-year olds in Hordaland county completed the baseline survey of the Norwegian Longitudinal Health Behavior Study. Reported meal frequencies by the adolescents at the ages 14-16, 18, 19 and 21, and parental educational level reported by their parents were used in the analyses. Dividing the cohort into three categories at the age of 14, tracking was used to determine the stability of the meal frequencies. All mean meal frequencies decreased significantly during adolescence. However, at age 21 the mean frequencies of breakfast and lunch were still approximately 5 times per week and for dinner it was 6 times per week. At all ages the males reported eating dinner more often than did the females. Initial gender differences in frequency of breakfast and lunch consumption disappeared as the males decreased their levels to that of the females. Tracking analyses showed that breakfast habits were especially stable, but also lunch and dinner habits showed fair degree of tracking. At all ages the children of parents with higher education reported higher frequencies of breakfast consumption. Other associations between meals and parental education were less consistent.Meal frequencies appeared fairly stable during adolescence and into early adulthood. Breakfast consumption appeared related to the educational levels of parents indicating social inequality.
Keywords: Nutrition, Adolescents, International
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.