LB015 - FOOD TEXTURE-RELATED INTAKE AND WEIGHT STATUS IN ADOLESCENTS: SEX-SPECIFIC ASSOCIATIONS FROM A NATIONAL SURVEY
LB015
FOOD TEXTURE-RELATED INTAKE AND WEIGHT STATUS IN ADOLESCENTS: SEX-SPECIFIC ASSOCIATIONS FROM A NATIONAL SURVEY
T. I. Gil1,2, T. Sinai3,4, C. Dor2,3, V. Kaufman-Shriqui1,*
1Department of Nutrition Sciences, Ariel University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Ariel, 2Department of Nutrition, Chaim Sheba Medical Center, 3Israel Ministry of Health, Israel Center for Disease Control, Ramat Gan, 4School of Nutrition Sciences, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Rehovot, Israel
Rationale: The role of food texture and oral processing in obesity remains underexplored. We examined whether intake across defined chewing levels is associated with overweight/obesity in adolescents and whether associations differ by sex.
Methods: A secondary analysis was conducted using data from the 2015–2016 Israeli National Youth Health and Nutrition Survey, based on Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ) dietary intake data. Food items were categorized by chewing level, ranging from 0, liquid, to 4, hard. Gender was examined as a main exposure variable, including both overall and gender-stratified analyses. Multivariable logistic regression models were used to assess the associations between intake at each chewing level, expressed per 10-g increment, and overweight/obesity, defined as a BMI z-score ≥1 SD. Models were adjusted for age, socioeconomic status, ethnicity, and total energy intake. Joinpoint regression was used to evaluate trends in associations across chewing levels. All statistical tests were two-tailed, and statistical significance was set at p < 0.05.
Results: Among 3,428 adolescents (mean age 15.2±1.6 years; 45.4% males), 32.0% had overweight/obesity. In females, higher intake across chewing levels 0-4 was associated with increased odds of overweight/obesity (0.1%-0.8% per 10-gram increment), with a significant positive trend (p=0.02). In males, associations were less consistent, and the trend was not significant (p=0.17).
Conclusion: Greater consumption across increasing food chewing levels was associated with higher overweight/obesity prevalence, independent of energy intake, with stronger and graded associations in females. Food texture may represent a relevant, sex-specific factor in dietary strategies targeting obesity
Disclosure of Interest: None declared