Dietary intake and weight status of urban Thai preadolescents in the context of food environment

Little attention has been devoted to the importance of understanding the association between dietary intake and childhood obesity in Thailand. This study aimed to explore food types affecting the weight status of preadolescents in urban settings, where obesity is remarkably prevalent. This study was conducted in 2015–2016 and assessed the dietary intake of 263 children aged 10–12years from Bangkok Metropolitan Regions through three- nonconsecutive-day 24h recall. Lifestyle and sociodemographic information was obtained using questionnaires. Participants were classified into non-obese and overweight/obese groups based on the WHO child growth standard curve. Foods were categorized into 13 groups based on Thailand's dietary guidelines and food environment context regarding two eating occasions (main and between meals) of children, which resulted in the newly classified “street-side snacks”. Data were examined using analysis of covariance and multiple linear regression analysis. After adjusting for sex and energy misreporting, overweight/obese participants had higher energy and macronutrient intake and consumed more cereal grains, meat/fish, flavored milk, and sugar-sweetened beverages during main meals and street-side snacks and confectioneries during between meals than non-obese participants. The consumption of street-side snacks had the highest beta coefficient on BMI z-scores among the food types in the model, adjusted further for energy intakes. Street-side snacks may be an important predictor of obesity in Thai children. A prospective investigation of the impact of accessibility and availability of this food item is needed. Keywords: Thailand, Preadolescents, Weight status, Dietary intake, Sugar-sweetened beverages, Snacking