Temporal patterns of energy intake identified by the latent class analysis in relation to prevalence of overweight and obesity in Iranian adults

This repository contains analysis code in Mplus for a cross-sectional study to identify temporal patterns of energy intake and their association with adiposity with Latent class analysis (LCA)

Our objective was to uncover temporal patterns of energy intake and examine their correlation with adiposity. To achieve this, we conducted a cross-sectional study involving 775 adults in Iran. Detailed information on eating occasions throughout the day was collected using three 24-hour dietary recalls.

By employing latent class analysis (LCA), we identified distinct temporal eating patterns based on the presence or absence of eating occasions within each hour of the day. To assess the impact of these patterns on overweight and obesity (defined as BMI of 25-29.9 and ≥30 kg/m², respectively), we employed binary logistic regression while controlling for potential confounding factors. LCA analysis classified participants into three exclusive sub-groups named 'Conventional', 'Earlier breakfast', and 'Later lunch'. The 'Conventional' class exhibited a high likelihood of eating occasions during conventional meal times. The 'Earlier breakfast' class was characterized by a higher probability of a breakfast eating occasion occurring one hour before the conventional pattern, as well as a dinner eating occasion one hour after the conventional pattern.

Similarly, the 'Later lunch' class demonstrated a higher likelihood of a lunch eating occasion occurring one hour after the conventional pattern. Participants following the 'Earlier breakfast' pattern displayed a reduced likelihood of obesity (adjusted odds ratio: 0.56, 95% confidence interval: 0.35, 0.95) compared to those following the 'Conventional' pattern. Conversely, no significant difference in the prevalence of obesity or overweight was observed between participants in the 'Later lunch' pattern and those in the 'Conventional' pattern. Our findings suggest an inverse association between an earlier eating pattern and the likelihood of obesity. However, it is important to consider that reverse causation may also provide a plausible explanation.

Access to the paper: https://doi.org/10.1017/S000711452300096X