Fat preferences, dietary fat intake and body composition in children

Objective: To examine the relationship between fat preference, dietary intake data and body composition in children. Subject and Methods: Subjects studied were 88 children aged 9-12 y from two elementary schools in Ohio. Measures for dietary intake and body composition were obtained by 3 day diet records, anthropometrics, triceps and subscapular skinfolds. Fat preference data was assessed by hedonic rating of high and low fat snack foods. Results: Data indicate that children who preferred the high fat snack items had high dietary fat intakes (r = 0.57, P < 0.05). Tricep skinfold measurement and BMI correlated positively with high fat food preferences (r = 0.51 and r = 0.46 P < 0.05). Conclusions: These data suggest preference for high fat foods may occur due to diet composition and that increased adiposity may be associated with higher relative fat intakes.