title: Sociodemographic characteristics and beverage intake of children who drink tap water.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Tap water provides a calorie-free, no-cost, environmentally friendly beverage option, yet only some youth drink it.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To examine sociodemographic characteristics, weight status, and beverage intake of those aged 1-19 years who drink tap water.
  
  
  METHODS
  National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey data (2005-2010) were used to examine factors associated with tap water consumption. A comparison was made of beverage intake among tap water consumers and nonconsumers, by age, race/ethnicity, and income.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Tap water consumption was more prevalent among school-aged children (OR=1.85, 95% CI=1.47, 2.33, for those aged 6-11 years; OR=1.85, 95% CI=1.32, 2.59, for those aged 12-19 years) as compared to those aged 1-2 years. Tap water intake was less prevalent among girls/women (OR=0.76, 95% CI=0.64, 0.89); Mexican Americans (OR=0.32, 95% CI=0.23, 0.45); non-Hispanic blacks (OR=0.48, 95% CI=0.34, 0.67); and others (OR=0.50, 95% CI=0.36, 0.68) as compared to whites; Spanish speakers (OR=0.72, 95% CI=0.55, 0.95); and among referents with a lower than Grade-9 education (OR=0.52, 95% CI=0.31, 0.88); Grade 9-11 education (OR=0.50, 95% CI=0.32, 0.77); and high school/General Educational Development test completion (OR=0.50, 95% CI=0.33, 0.76), as compared to college graduates. Tap water consumers drank more fluid (52.5 vs 48.0 ounces, p<0.01); more plain water (20.1 vs 15.2 ounces, p<0.01); and less juice (3.6 vs 5.2 ounces, p<0.01) than nonconsumers.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  One in six children/adolescents does not drink tap water, and this finding is more pronounced among minorities. Sociodemographic disparities in tap water consumption may contribute to disparities in health outcomes. Improvements in drinking water infrastructure and culturally relevant promotion may help to address these issues.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York; Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York. Electronic address: PatelA@peds.ucsf.edu.
authors.forename: Anisha I
authors.initials: AI
authors.lastname: Patel
authors.affiliation: Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Daniel J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Shapiro
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Policy and Management, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Y Claire
authors.initials: YC
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York; Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies, Columbia Mailman School of Public Health, New York, New York; Epidemiology and Biostatistics, University of California, San Francisco, California.
authors.forename: Michael D
authors.initials: MD
authors.lastname: Cabana
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001628:Beverages / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004327:Drinking Behavior; D060766:Drinking Water; D004522:Educational Status; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D008297:Male; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D014481:United States; D055815:Young Adult
chemical_list: D060766:Drinking Water