title: Water intake and beverage consumption of pre-schoolers from six European countries and associations with socio-economic status: the ToyBox-study.
abstract: To study the quantity and quality of water intake from beverages among pre-schoolers and investigate associations with gender and socio-economic status (SES).
  
  
  
  Kindergarten-based cross-sectional survey within the large-scale European ToyBox-study. A standardized protocol was used and parents/caregivers filled in sociodemographic data and a semi-quantitative FFQ.
  
  
  
  Kindergartens in six European countries (Belgium, Bulgaria, Germany, Greece, Poland and Spain).
  
  
  
  European pre-schoolers (aged 3·5-5·5 years) and their parents/caregivers (n 7051).
  
  
  
  Mean water intake was 1051 ml/d; plain water, 547 ml/d; plain milk, 241 ml/d; other fruit juice, 104 ml/d; pure fruit juice, 59 ml/d; soft drinks, 55 ml/d; tea, 45 ml/d; sugared and chocolate milk, 37 ml/d; smoothies, 15 ml/d; and light soft drinks, 6 ml/d. Boys had a higher water intake than girls due to a higher consumption of plain water, but more importantly to the consumption of beverages of less quality. Lower-SES pre-schoolers scored better on quantity than high-SES pre-schoolers, but as a consequence of consumption of sugared beverages. Nevertheless, the associations differed by country.
  
  
  
  The water intake from beverages did not meet the European Food Safety Authority standard of 1280 ml/d; especially in Western European countries water intake from beverages was low. The most important water sources were plain water, milk and fruit juices. Interventions aiming at a proper and sufficient water intake should focus on both quantity and quality. Messages about water and water sources should be clear for everyone and interventions should be sufficiently tailored.
authors.affiliation: 1Ghent University,Department of Public Health,Unit Health Promotion,De Pintelaan 185 - 4K3 lokaal 036,9000 Gent,Belgium.
authors.forename: An-Sofie
authors.initials: AS
authors.lastname: Pinket
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Movement and Sport Sciences,Ghent University,Ghent,Belgium.
authors.forename: Marieke
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: De Craemer
authors.affiliation: 1Ghent University,Department of Public Health,Unit Health Promotion,De Pintelaan 185 - 4K3 lokaal 036,9000 Gent,Belgium.
authors.forename: Lea
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Maes
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Movement and Sport Sciences,Ghent University,Ghent,Belgium.
authors.forename: Ilse
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: De Bourdeaudhuij
authors.affiliation: 2Department of Movement and Sport Sciences,Ghent University,Ghent,Belgium.
authors.forename: Greet
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Cardon
authors.affiliation: 3Department of Nutrition and Dietetics,Harokopio University,Athens,Greece.
authors.forename: Odysseas
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Androutsos
authors.affiliation: 4Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital,Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich,Munich,Germany.
authors.forename: Berthold
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Koletzko
authors.affiliation: 5GENUD (Growth, Exercise, NUtrition and Development) Research Group,University of Zaragoza,Zaragoza,Spain.
authors.forename: Luis
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Moreno
authors.affiliation: 6The Children's Memorial Health Institute,Warsaw,Poland.
authors.forename: Piotr
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Socha
authors.affiliation: 7Clinic of Paeditric Endocrinology,UMHAT 'St. Marina',Varna,Bulgaria.
authors.forename: Violeta
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Iotova
authors.affiliation: 3Department of Nutrition and Dietetics,Harokopio University,Athens,Greece.
authors.forename: Yannis
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Manios
authors.affiliation: 1Ghent University,Department of Public Health,Unit Health Promotion,De Pintelaan 185 - 4K3 lokaal 036,9000 Gent,Belgium.
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Van Lippevelde
mesh_terms: D001530:Belgium; D001628:Beverages; D002031:Bulgaria; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004034:Diet Surveys; D004326:Drinking; D005260:Female; D005858:Germany; D006115:Greece; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D011044:Poland; D013030:Spain; D014867:Water
chemical_list: D014867:Water
keywords: Beverages; Pre-schoolers; Socio-economic status; Water intake