Association of the percentage contribution of food and beverage consumption at dinner and evening snack with overweight in Brazilian schoolchildren: a cross-sectional study

Abstract This study aimed to verify whether a higher percentage contribution of food and beverage consumption at dinner and evening snack was associated with overweight in schoolchildren from a city in southern Brazil. Cross-sectional study conducted with schoolchildren aged 7–14 years from the Prevalence Study of Obesity in Children and Adolescents of Florianopolis/SC. Weight and height were measured individually by trained researchers. The assessment of the weight status of the schoolchildren was conducted using the BMI, classified according to the Z-score for age. The self-reported food consumption was obtained through the online Web-CAAFE questionnaire. Multivariate logistic was used to verify the association between the percentage contribution of food groups in the dinner and evening snack meals with overweight. A total of 1379 schoolchildren participated in the study, of which 33·8 % were overweight. It was observed that a higher percentage contribution of meat, eggs, and seafood consumption at dinner was positively associated with overweight (OR: 1·61; 95 % CI: 1·27, 2·04); P = 0·001). In contrast, a higher percentage contribution of water consumption at dinner and dairy products and sugary drinks at the evening snack were negatively associated with overweight (OR: 0·67; OR: 0·61; and OR: 0·67, respectively). It is concluded that a higher percentage contribution of food groups in schoolchildren’s diet at dinner and evening snack is associated with overweight. However, further studies are recommended to assess food consumption in schoolchildren during dinner and evening snack meals for more conclusive findings.