Investigating eating architecture and the impact of the precision of recorded eating time: a cross-sectional study

Background
The precision of recorded eating times directly affects the estimation of eating architecture, that is, size, timing, and frequency of eating. The impact of imprecise timing on estimates and associations of eating architecture with health remains unclear.

Objectives
We compared eating architecture variables derived from precise with those of broad timing methods and examined associations with anthropometric-related and diet-related outcomes.

Methods
Cross-sectional data came from 3-d diet diaries of 7-y-old children in the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. We derived mean size, timing, and frequency of eating, using exact times (precise, n = 4855) and midpoint meal slot times (broad, n = 7285). Intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs) estimated agreement between methods. Bland–Altman analysis determined mean difference and limits of agreement (LOAs). Correlations (95% CIs) estimated associations between eating architecture variables and anthropometric-related or diet-related traits.

Results
Agreement varied from moderate to excellent for size (ICC: 0.75), last or first time (ICC: 0.80 or 0.58), and frequency (ICC: 0.43) of eating occasions. Broad times underestimated eating frequency (2.2 times/d; LOA: −1, 5) and overestimated size (83 g; LOA: −179, 13), last time (50 min; LOA: −142, 42), intermeal intervals (68 min; LOA: −126, −11), and eating window (49 min; LOA: −161, 63). Directions of eating architecture intercorrelations were consistent regardless of time precision but varied in magnitude, for example, larger eating occasion size correlated with lower eating frequency but was stronger with precise time (rprecise = −0.54; 95% CI: −0.56, −0.52; rbroad = −0.24; 95% CI: −0.27, −0.22). Correlations with anthropometric-related and diet-related outcomes were also directionally consistent.

Conclusions
Precise timing improves the estimation of eating architecture. Differences in estimation will affect descriptions of children’s eating habits and possibly dietary guidance. However, consistent directional associations across timing methods suggest that broad times could provide a pragmatic method for investigating eating architecture associations in large samples.