title: Correlates of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Purchased for Children at Fast-Food Restaurants.
abstract: To determine consumer and fast-food purchase characteristics associated with the purchase of a sugar-sweetened beverage, as well as calories and grams of sugar, for children at a fast-food restaurant.
  
  
  
  We completed cross-sectional analyses of fast-food restaurant receipts and point-of-purchase surveys (n = 483) collected during 2013 and 2014 in New York City and Newark and Jersey City, New Jersey.
  
  
  
  Caregivers purchased beverages for half of all children in our sample. Approximately 60% of these beverages were sugar-sweetened beverages. Fast-food meals with sugar-sweetened beverages had, on average, 179 more calories than meals with non-sugar-sweetened beverages. Being an adolescent or male, having a caregiver with a high school degree or less, having a caregiver who saw the posted calorie information, ordering a combination meal, and eating the meal in the restaurant were associated with ordering a sugar-sweetened beverage. Purchases that included a combination meal or were consumed in the restaurant included more beverage grams of sugar and calories.
  
  
  
  Characteristics of fast-food purchases appear to have the largest and most important association to beverage calories for children at fast-food restaurants. Targeting fast-food restaurants, particularly combination meals, may improve childhood obesity rates.
authors.affiliation: The authors are with the Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, and the New York University Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York.
authors.forename: Jonathan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cantor
authors.affiliation: The authors are with the Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, and the New York University Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Breck
authors.affiliation: The authors are with the Department of Population Health, New York University School of Medicine, and the New York University Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service, New York.
authors.forename: Brian
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Elbel
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000367:Age Factors; D001628:Beverages / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D002648:Child; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019422:Dietary Sucrose; D002149:Energy Intake; D057140:Fast Foods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009515:New Jersey; D009519:New York City; D012147:Restaurants / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D012737:Sex Factors; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
chemical_list: D019422:Dietary Sucrose