Like parent, like child: a cross-sectional study of intra-household consumption patterns of non-alcoholic beverages among British households with children
Abstract Objective: Most research investigating sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and health, conducted at the individual or household level, ignores potentially important intra-household dynamics. We analysed self-reported consumption relationships between children and adults, and between children of different ages, as well as the associations between intra-household consumption, body mass index and socio-demographic characteristics. Design: A cross-sectional analysis of survey data from Kantar Fast Moving Consumer Goods panellists in September 2017. Setting: Great Britain Participants: Random sample of 603 households with children under 18 who regularly purchase non-alcoholic beverages. Results: Low or no-sugar/diet beverages dominate consumption across all age categories, particularly children under 12 years. SSB consumption increased as children became older. Children’s reported consumption of SSBs and low or no-sugar/diet beverages was positively associated with consumption by adults; a child in adolescence had over nine times the odds of consuming SSBs (adjusted OR 9.55, 95% CI 5.38, 17.00, p<0.001), and eight times the odds of consuming low or no-sugar/diet drinks (adjusted OR 8.12, 95% CI 4.71, 13.97, p<0.001), if adults did so. In households with multiple children, consumption patterns of older siblings were associated with those of the younger; notably a perfect correlation between children 0-6 years consuming SSBs if siblings 13-18 years did so, and children 7-12 years had 22 times the odds of consuming SSBs if siblings 13-18 years did so (OR 22.33, 95% CI 8.60, 58.01, p<0.001). Conclusions: Multiple policies, targeting children as well as adults, such as fiscal levers and advertisement restrictions, are needed to reduce and prevent consumption of SSBs.