Associations between energy density of meals and snacks and overall diet quality and adiposity measures in British children and adolescents: the National Diet and Nutrition Survey

This cross-sectional study examined how energy density (ED) of meals and snacks are associated with overall diet quality and adiposity measures in 1617 British children aged 4-18 years from the 1997 National Diet and Nutrition Survey. On the basis of data from 7-d weighed dietary record, all eating occasions were divided into meals or snacks on the basis of time (meals: 06.00-09.00, 12.00-14.00 and 17.00-20.00 hours; snacks: all others) or contribution to energy intake (EI) (meals: ≥15 %; snacks: