Late-eating adolescents consume more energy, make poorer dietary choices, and are more likely to have excess weight: An analysis of the Brazilian Household Budget Survey (2008–2009)

Recent studies have linked nighttime eating to increased body weight and metabolic risk, but evidence among adolescents remains limited. To assess the association between late-eating patterns and overweight among adolescents. This cross-sectional study used data from 7,377 Brazilian adolescents (10-19 y) from the 2008-2009 Family Budgets Survey to examine associations between late-eating patterns and overweight. Chrononutrition variables - timing of the first and last meal, eating duration, fasting duration, caloric midpoint, and eating midpoint - were estimated from two-day food diaries and categorized into tertiles. Weight status was determined by BMI-for-age z-scores. Multiple regressions models assessed associations between meal timing and overweight. Adolescents in the highest third tertile of eating duration had greater odds of excess weight (OR = 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.5, p = 0.04) while those in the middle tertile of night-fasting had lower odds (OR = 0.7, 95% CI 0.6-0.9, p = 0.02). Consuming a higher proportion of calories after 20:00 h was also associated with overweight (OR = 1.3, 95% CI 1.0-1.6, p = 0.03). Later timing of the last meal, caloric midpoint and longer eating duration were linked to higher total energy intake (p < 0.005). In conclusion, late eating is associated with excess weight and increased caloric intake among adolescents, underscoring meal timing as a modifiable target for obesity prevention.