Definitions and Perceptions of Snacking

The purpose of this study was to investigate definitions of snacking, perceptions of snack foods and snacking behavior. One hundred and thirty six participants (96 females, 40 males, mean age 37 years), who were either students or members of the general public took part in the study. The participants completed a snacking questionnaire which measured their snacking behavior and beliefs. The majority of participants believed that snacking was best defined as food or drink eaten between main meals. The majority of participants consumed at least one snack per day (80%) and had on average 4.5 eating episodes per day. Participants were able to group snack foods depending on their differing qualities with sub-groups of the sample consuming snacks from these groups. This study supports previous evidence that snacks are best defined relative to meals however it highlights a need for further research to be done examining the relationship between meals and snacks. The findings identify that not all snack foods provide extra calories and therefore snacking is not necessarily a predisposition to obesity