Family Meals and Neighborhood Food Resources Influence on Intake of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages and Added Sugars among Parents and Adolescents in Rural Counties

Background: Intakes of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) and added sugars have been targeted in efforts to reduce childhood obesity and cardiovascular disease risk factors in children. Although evidence is sparse in children, overconsumption of SSB and added sugars has been linked to greater dyslipidemia in adults. Objectives: To examine the association between intakes of SSB, added sugars, and total sugars, with blood lipids in a multi-ethnic sample of children with prevalent obesity. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, we examined associations between intakes of SSB, added sugars, and total sugars with high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and triglycerides (TG) in a sample of 276 children aged 8-15 y (mean age 11.8 y; 39% white, 14% black, 16% Hispanic/Latino, 12% Asian, and 19% multi-racial/other) with prevalent overweight/obesity (45% with ≥85 th BMI percentile and 25% with ≥95 th ). Percentage of daily calories from SSB, as well as intakes of added sugars (tsp) and total sugars (g), were estimated using the 2004 Block Food Frequency Questionnaire for Children. HDL-C and TG were obtained from a fasting blood sample. Percentage of calories from SSB, added sugars, and energy-adjusted total sugars were dichotomized at their upper tertile cut-points, specifically, at 7%, 13 tsp, and 116 g, respectively, creating two intake categories for each dietary exposure. ANCOVA was used to analyze the data; covariates were age, sex, race/ethnicity, obesity, total calories, and intakes of saturated fat and dietary fiber. TG was log-transformed prior to analysis; low HDL-C was defined as ≤45 mg/dL and borderline/high TG, as ≥75 (aged ≤9 y) or ≥90 mg/dL (≥10 y). Results: Median daily intake of total sugars was 94.2 g, 47% of which was derived from added sugars (median: 9.9 tsp, range: 1-76 tsp). Only 12% of children followed the American Heart Association calorie-specific recommendations for intake of added sugars. Median contribution of SSB to total calories was 4.4% (range: 0 to 51%), and SSB calories contributed 36% (range: 0 to 100%) of calories from added sugars. Both low HDL-C and borderline/high TG were prevalent (26-27% overall) and were more common in children classified as obese (61% and 53%, respectively) than in those who were not obese (16% and 17%, respectively, P<0.0001 for each); however, intakes of SSB, added sugars, and total sugars did not differ with obesity. In multivariate-adjusted models, higher TG was associated with high intakes of SSB (75.3 vs. 67.6 mg/dL, P=0.04) and total sugars (76.5 vs. 67.0 mg/dL, P=0.01), while the association with added sugars was not significant. There were no associations with HDL-C. Conclusions: Among children with prevalent obesity, higher intakes of SSB and total sugars were associated with higher TG concentrations, but not with lower HDL-C. Further research is needed on the health implications of lower SSB and sugar intakes in diverse samples.

Download Full-text

Sugar Sweetened Beverages Are the Top Source of Added Sugars in Young Children: 2016 Feeding Infants and Toddlers Study (FITS)

Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics ◽

10.1016/j.jand.2021.06.265 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 121 (9) ◽

pp. A96

Author(s):

K. Finn ◽

S. Pac

Keyword(s):

Young Children ◽

Infants And Toddlers ◽

Sugar Sweetened Beverages ◽

Added Sugars ◽

Sweetened Beverages

Download Full-text

Trends in Consumption of Solid Fats, Added Sugars, Sodium, Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, and Fruit from Fast Food Restaurants and by Fast Food Restaurant Type among US Children, 2003–2010

Nutrients ◽

10.3390/nu8120804 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 8 (12) ◽

pp. 804 ◽

Cited By ~ 15

Author(s):

Colin Rehm ◽

Adam Drewnowski

Keyword(s):

Fast Food ◽

Fast Food Restaurant ◽

Sugar Sweetened Beverages ◽

Added Sugars ◽

Sweetened Beverages ◽

Fast Food Restaurants ◽

Us Children

Download Full-text

Associations Between College-Student Food Insecurity and Diet at a Large, Public Midwestern University

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzaa043_094 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 243-243

Author(s):

Jeannie Mei ◽

Aarohee Fulay ◽

Cindy Leung

Keyword(s):

College Students ◽

Food Security ◽

Dietary Intake ◽

Food Insecurity ◽

Short Form ◽

Sugar Sweetened Beverages ◽

Added Sugars ◽

Sweetened Beverages ◽

Food Security Status ◽

Midwestern University

Abstract Objectives Food insecurity, a state of not being able to consistently access nutritious food, is an issue that 43% of students on college campuses experience. This study examines the associations between food insecurity and dietary intake in a sample of undergraduate students at a large, public Midwestern university. Methods A Qualtrics survey was completed by 1033 students, recruited from three dining halls as part of a different sugar-sweetened beverage intervention study. Baseline data, collected prior to the intervention, were used in the present study. Food security was assessed using the 6-item Short Form Food Security Survey Module and dietary intake was assessed using the National Cancer Institute 26-item Dietary Screener Questionnaire and the Beverage Intake Questionnaire-15. Generalized linear regression models were used to examine differences in dietary intake by student's food security status. Results After adjusting for sociodemographic variables, food-insecure students reported 9% lower intake of fruits, 9% lower intake of vegetables, 10% higher intake of dairy, 6% higher intake of total added sugars, 10% higher intake of added sugars from sugar-sweetened beverages, 4% higher intake of calcium, and 4% lower intake of fiber, compared to food-secure students. With respect to beverage intake, food-insecure students had 55% higher intake of fruit drinks, 148% higher intake of energy drinks, 129% higher intake of sweetened teas, 46% higher intake of flavored milk, 54% higher intake of total sugar-sweetened beverages, and 66% higher intake of diet soda. Conclusions Despite having similar access to university dining halls, there were significant differences in the diets of college students by food security status, providing more reason to increase food insecurity awareness among college students and contribute to initiatives to alleviate food insecurity, such as on-campus food pantry programs. Funding Sources This study was supported by a grant from Poverty Solutions at the University of Michigan.

Download Full-text

Discrepancies between Parents’ and Adolescents’ Perceptions of Family Meal Habits

Current Developments in Nutrition ◽

10.1093/cdn/nzaa043_027 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 4 (Supplement_2) ◽

pp. 176-176

Author(s):

Erin Curtright ◽

Stephanie Ayers ◽

Anaid Gonzalvez ◽

Meg Bruening ◽

Flavio Marsiglia ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Technology Use ◽

Fruit Juice ◽

Family Meals ◽

Self Report ◽

Maternal Child Health ◽

Sugar Sweetened Beverages ◽

Hispanic Families ◽

Television Watching ◽

Family Meal ◽

Sweetened Beverages

Abstract Objectives The purpose of this study was to determine how closely parents and their adolescent children self-report family meal habits specific to types of food served and technology use. Methods Dyads (n = 100) of one parent (40.0 ± 7.1 years; 92.1% female) and one 6th-8th grade adolescent child (12.5 ± 0.9 years; 41.3% female) from primarily Hispanic families were recruited through middle schools in a Southwestern US metropolitan area. Parents and adolescents each completed surveys to self-report types of foods typically served at dinner (vegetables, 100% fruit juice, other fruit, milk, and sugar-sweetened beverages) and technology use allowed (television watching, use of hand-held games, talking on the phone, texting, listening to music with headphones) during family meals using identical questions. Answer choices were Never = 1, Sometimes = 2, Usually = 3, or Always = 4. Parents’ responses were compared to those of adolescents using paired samples T-tests. Results Relative to adolescent responses, parents reported greater family mealtime offering of vegetables (2.5 ± 0.9 vs. 1.8 ± 0.7), 100% fruit juice (2.0 ± 0.9 vs. 1.3 ± 1.0), other fruit (2.4 ± 1.0 vs. 1.3 ± 1.0), milk (2.9 ± 1.0 vs. 1.0 ± 1.0), and sugar-sweetened beverages (2.1 ± 0.8 vs 1.2 ± 0.9; P < 0.0001 for all). Parents also reported greater television watching (2.1 ± 0.9 vs. 1.2 ± 0.1), use of hand-held games (1.6 ± 0.9 vs. 0.8 ± 0.1), talking on the phone (1.7 ± 1.0 vs. 0.6 ± 0.9), texting (1.7 ± 1.0 vs. 0.7 ± 1.0), and listening to music with headphones (1.7 ± 1.0 vs. 0.8 ± 1.0; P < 0.0001 for all) than their adolescent children. Conclusions Parents consistently reported offering vegetables, 100% fruit juice, other fruit, milk and sugar-sweetened beverages during family meals more frequently than reported by their adolescent children. Similarly, parents reported more permissive family meals regarding technology use. Further research is needed to better understand these discrepancies in how parents and their adolescent children perceive family meals, and to explore whether perceptions of family meals are associated with dietary quality in Hispanic families. Funding Sources Funded by the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities and by the Health Resources and Services Administration of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services as part of a Maternal Child Health Bureau Nutrition Training Grant.

Download Full-text