Objective To analyze three meals eating behavior among adult residents in China from 2010 to 2012 and to provide evidences for developing relevant interventions and publicity measures.
Methods The data on three meals (breakfast, lunch and dinner) dietary behavior during past one week among 44 399 residents aged ≥ 18 years were extracted from the National Nutrition and Health Surveillance conducted from 2010 – 2012 across China. Weighted processing and statistical analysis of complex sampling were performed with SAS 9.3.
Results Of the participants, 88.3% reported eating three meals every day during past one week; while 4.4%, 1.4%, and 0.2% reported never having breakfast, lunch, and dinner. The proportion of the participants reporting being used to eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner at home were 89.3%, 85.2%, and 90.5%, respectively. There were considerable gender, urban-rural and between age groups differences in three meals eating behaviors among the participants.
Conclusion The proportion of Chinese adult residents having three meals a day decreased and the proportions of adult residents not having breakfast, lunch, or dinner were higher among the populations aged 18 – 44 years and among those in poor rural areas, suggesting that the populations need to be intervened specifically to promote them to develop good eating habits.
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