Research: current researchFactors associated with soft drink consumption in school-aged children☆
Section snippets
Sample and study design
Data for this study were collected as part of a survey conducted by Dragonfly magazine, an educational publication for children produced by Miami University in Oxford, OH, through a grant by the National Science Foundation and distributed nationwide by the National Science Teachers Association. The magazine was distributed to elementary and middle schools across the United States to be incorporated in the science curriculum for students. The goal of the magazine was to increase children’s
Results
The study sample consisted of 560 children, 8 to 13 years old. The mean age of the respondents was 10.5 years (standard deviation ±1.19), with an equal distribution of boys and girls (51% and 49%, respectively). Children from 23 states in the United States (including states in the East, West, South, Midwest, and Alaska) were represented in the sample.
Approximately 30% of the respondents reported drinking soft drinks daily and 85% reported they usually drink regular (nondiet) soft drinks (Table
Discussion
Approximately 30% of the children who responded to our survey consumed soft drinks daily and only 18% reported consuming soft drinks less than once per week. As hypothesized, soft drink consumption patterns of parents and friends, television viewing, availability of soft drinks in the home and school, and beverage taste preferences were associated with soft drink consumption by children in this study.
Soft drink consumption patterns of parents and friends were strongly associated with soft drink
Conclusions
- •
Parents should be aware that their eating behaviors, including their choice of beverage, may impact their children’s eating habits. It is important that parents serve as positive role models, and their influence should be considered in designing interventions to promote healthful beverage choices by children.
- •
There may be a need for policies and regulations to limit the availability of soft drinks in schools to promote health and good nutrition for children.
- •
Consideration should be given to
G. C. Grimm is a fellow in the Division of Reproductive Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA; at the time of the study, she was a graduate student in the Division of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. L. Harnack is an assistant professor, and M. Story is a professor, Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
References (28)
- et al.
Soft drink consumption among US children and adolescentsNutritional consequences
J Am Diet Assoc
(1999) - et al.
Relation between consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks and childhood obesityA prospective, observational analysis
Lancet
(2001) Beverages in the diets of American teenagers
J Am Diet Assoc
(1986)- et al.
Why Americans eat what they doTaste, nutrition, cost, convenience, and weight control concerns as influences on food consumption
J Am Diet Assoc
(1998) - et al.
Children’s food preferencesA longitudinal analysis
J Am Diet Assoc
(2002) - et al.
Availability of foods in high schoolsIs there cause for concern
J Am Diet Assoc
(1996) - et al.
School food policies and practicesA statewide survey of secondary school principals
J Am Diet Assoc
(2002) - et al.
The 30-second effectAn experiment revealing the impact of television commercials on food preferences of preschoolers
J Am Diet Assoc
(2001) - et al.
Changes in children’s total fat intakes and their food sources of fat, 1989–91 versus 1994–95Implications for diet quality
Fam Econ Nutr Rev
(1998) - et al.
Food Consumption, Prices and Expenditures, 1970–95. Report no. 939
Teenaged girls, carbonated beverage consumption, and bone fractures
Arch Pediatric Adolesc Med
Nutritional and energetic consequences of sweetened drink consumption in 6- to 13-year-old children
J Pediatr
Prevalence of overweight among children and adolescentsUnited States, 1999
Cited by (236)
Soft drink consumption and mental health problems: Longitudinal relations in children and adolescents
2020, Social Science and Medicine
G. C. Grimm is a fellow in the Division of Reproductive Health at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, GA; at the time of the study, she was a graduate student in the Division of Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis. L. Harnack is an assistant professor, and M. Story is a professor, Division of Epidemiology, School of Public Health, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN.
- ☆
This research was supported by a J.B. Hawley Student Research Award.