Eating behaviour in children and the measurement of food intake

There is a growing emphasis by clinicians and researchers on the lifestyle behaviours of children because of the relationship of these behaviours to adulthood diseases such as obesity, cardiovascular disease and osteoporosis (Hoek et al., 2004; Schoeller, 2003; Wilson and Lewis, 2004). Trends in the food consumption patterns of children should be considered in the design and implementation of population-based behaviour strategies for the promotion of health and prevention of chronic diseases beginning in childhood (Nicklas et al., 2004). Well-established methods of food intake assessment need to be continually modified because of the rapidly changing patterns of food consumption and dietary composition within contemporary populations (Willett, 1998). An important component of such work is to study the relationship between diet and disease in epidemiological studies.