TABLE 1.
Distribution of meal patterns on a given day among the US population (≥2 y), by sex and age: NHANES 2015–20161
| Meal patterns | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Breakfast, lunch, and dinner2 | Any 2 meals | Any 1 meal or less | |
| Males | |||
| Age group | |||
| 2–5 y | 84 (2.1) | 15 (1.9) | 1* (0.3) |
| 6–11 y | 73 (3.7) | 24 (3.4) | 3* (1.0) |
| 12–19 y | 52 (2.7) | 37 (1.6) | 11 (1.9) |
| 20–29 y | 54 (4.1) | 36 (3.4) | 10 (2.1) |
| 30–39 y | 60 (2.9) | 33 (2.6) | 7 (1.4) |
| 40–49 y | 65 (4.3) | 30 (3.2) | 6 (1.9) |
| 50–59 y | 60 (3.5) | 35 (4.0) | 5 (1.4) |
| 60–69 y | 67 (5.7) | 30 (5.4) | 3* (0.7) |
| ≥70 y | 68 (2.2) | 30 (2.2) | 2* (0.8) |
| Children (2–19 y) | 66 (2.7) | 28 (1.9) | 6 (1.1) |
| Adults (≥20 y) | 61 (1.7) | 33 (1.5) | 6 (0.7) |
| All (≥2 y) | 63 (1.7) | 31 (1.2) | 6 (0.7) |
| Females | |||
| Age group | |||
| 2–5 y | 89 (2.3) | 11 (2.3) | # |
| 6–11 y | 72 (2.4) | 24 (2.9) | 4 (0.9) |
| 12–19 y | 49 (1.6) | 41 (2.4) | 10 (2.3) |
| 20–29 y | 59 (2.5) | 33 (2.8) | 7 (1.2) |
| 30–39 y | 66 (2.6) | 29 (2.9) | 5 (0.9) |
| 40–49 y | 70 (3.7) | 27 (3.4) | 4* (0.7) |
| 50–59 y | 65 (3.3) | 32 (3.5) | 2* (0.8) |
| 60–69 y | 66 (4.5) | 30 (4.8) | 4* (1.3) |
| ≥70 y | 68 (3.1) | 28 (2.9) | 4* (1.1) |
| Children (2–19 y) | 65 (1.8) | 29 (2.0) | 6 (1.1) |
| Adults (≥20 y) | 66 (1.6) | 30 (1.7) | 4 (0.4) |
| All (≥2 y) | 65 (1.4) | 30 (1.4) | 5 (0.4) |
| Males and females | |||
| Children (2–19 y) | 66 (2.0) | 28 (1.6) | 6 (0.9) |
| Adults (≥20 y) | 64 (1.5) | 31 (1.3) | 5 (0.4) |
| All (≥2 y) | 64 (1.4) | 31 (1.1) | 5 (0.5) |
1
Values are % (SE). *Indicates an estimate that does not meet National Center for Health Statistics standards of reliability. #Indicates a non-zero value too small to report.
2
All eating occasions designated by the respondent as “breakfast,” “lunch,” and “dinner,” respectively, or their Spanish equivalents.