The relationship between frequency of eating and adiposity in adult men and women in the Tecumseh Community Health Study

Abstract

The relationship between frequency of eating and adiposity was studied in a cross-sectional population of about 1000 men and 1000 women ages 35 to 69. A detailed 24-hr diet recall interview was administered by trained interviewers. Frequency of eating--eight categories--was determined by computer program using reported actual eating times and food consumed. The adiposity variable was an index using two skinfold measurements, height and weight. An analysis of covariance removing the effect of caloric intake showed that frequency of eating was related inversely to the adiposity index for men and women separately with statistical significance at the 1% level.