Trends in SSBs and snack consumption among children by age, body weight, and race/ethnicity.
OBJECTIVE
To describe national trends in discretionary calories from sugar sweetened beverage (SSB) and snacks by age-specific body weight categories and by age- and weight-specific race/ethnicity groups. Examining these subpopulations is important as population averages may mask important differences.


METHODS
24-hour dietary recall data obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003-2010 among children aged 2 to 19 (N = 14,092) were used. Logistic and linear regression methods were used to adjust for multiple covariates and survey design.


RESULTS
The number of calories from SSBs declined significantly for nearly all age-specific body weight groups. Among overweight or obese children, significant declines in the number of calories from SSBs were observed among Hispanic children aged 2 to 5 (117 vs. 174 kcal) and white adolescents aged 12 to 19 (299 vs. 365 kcal). Significant declines in the number of calories from salty snacks were observed among white children aged 2 to 5 (192 to 134 kcal) and 6 to 11 (273 vs. 200 kcal).


CONCLUSIONS
The decrease in SSB consumption and increase in snack consumption observed in prior research are not uniform when children are examined within subgroups accounting for age, weight, and race/ethnicity.
Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland, USA.
Sara N
SN
Bleich
Julia A
JA
Wolfson
D000293:Adolescent; D001628:Beverages / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D015992:Body Mass Index; D002648:Child; D019422:Dietary Sucrose / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D005006:Ethnicity / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D016014:Linear Models; D008297:Male; D009749:Nutrition Surveys; D063766:Pediatric Obesity / Q000208:ethnology*; D062410:Snacks; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013549:Sweetening Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage* / Q000009:adverse effects; D014481:United States
D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D013549:Sweetening Agents