Home-made carbonated water and the consumption of water and other beverages in children and adolescents: results of the DONALD study.
OBJECTIVE
To determine differences in intake of water, drinking water and beverages between consumers (C) and non-consumers (NC) of carbonated water prepared at home.


METHODS
Matched pairs design; 3-d-weighed diet records; participants of the DONALD Study (Dortmund Nutritional and Anthropometric Longitudinally Designed Study) aged 2-18 y (n = 550, mean: 8.2 y).


RESULTS
The most important beverage was either carbonated (C: females 265, males 299 g/d) or bottled water (NC: males 267, females 282 g/d) followed by juice (120-174 g/d), soft drinks (134-167 g/d) and milk (84-149 g/d). Water intake from beverages was higher in males (NC: 902 and C: 906 g/d) than in females (NC: 789 and C: 771 g/d). However, total water intake per energy was higher in females (NC: 0.88 and C: 0.91 g/kcal) than in males (NC: 0.80 and C: 0.83 g/kcal). C had a significantly higher mean drinking water intake (tap + bottled + carbonated water) in percentage of total water intake (%TW) than NC, and lower mean intakes of milk, bottled water and tap water, respectively. There was a significantly lower mean fat intake in C (females: 32 and males: 33% of energy) versus NC (females: 34 and males: 36% of energy). Irrespective of carbonated water consumption, females had better drinking habits than males, with significantly higher mean intakes of water from food (%TW), water from beverages + food (%TW), and total water per energy.


CONCLUSIONS
Drinking habits and total water intakes of consumers are quite similar to those of non-consumers of carbonated water. Females in general show more favourable drinking habits than males.
Sichert-Hellert
W
W
Research Institute for Child Nutrition (FKE), Dortmund, Germany. sichert@fke.do.de
Kersting
M
M
D000293:Adolescent; D002253:Carbonated Beverages; D002648:Child; D002664:Child Nutritional Physiological Phenomena; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003466:Cultural Characteristics; D004032:Diet; D004327:Drinking Behavior; D002149:Energy Intake; D004777:Environment; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005858:Germany; D006306:Health Surveys; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D014867:Water / Q000008:administration & dosage*
D014867:Water