Abstract
Because childhood obesity is such a threat to the physical, mental, and social health
of youth, there is a great need to identify effective strategies to reduce its prevalence.
The objective of this study was to estimate the mean calories from added sugars that
are saved by switching sugar-sweetened beverages (including soda, fruit-flavored drinks,
and sport drinks) and flavored milks consumed to unflavored low-fat milk (<1% fat)
at meals and water between meals. Simulation analyses used 24-hour dietary recall
data from the third School Nutrition Dietary Assessment Study (n=2,314), a 2005 national
cross-sectional study of schools and students participating in the National School
Lunch Program, to estimate changes in mean calories from added sugars both at and
away from school. Overall, these changes translated to a mean of 205 calories or a
10% savings in energy intake across all students (8% among children in elementary
school and 11% in middle and high schools). Eighty percent of the daily savings were
attributed to beverages consumed away from school, with results consistent across
school level, sex, race/ethnicity, and weight status. Children's consumption of sugar-sweetened
beverages at home contributed the greatest share of empty calories from added sugars.
Such findings indicate that parental education should focus on the importance of reducing
or eliminating sugar-sweetened beverages served at home. This conclusion has implications
for improving children's food and beverage environments for food and nutrition educators
and practitioners, other health care professionals, policy makers, researchers, and
parents.
Keywords
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Biography
R. R. Briefel is a senior fellow, Mathematica Policy Research, Washington, DC.
Biography
C. Cabili is a researcher, Mathematica Policy Research, Washington, DC.
Biography
A. Hedley Dodd is a senior researcher, Mathematica Policy Research, Washington, DC.
Biography
A. Wilson is a graduate student, Department of Statistics, North Carolina State University, Raleigh; at the time of the study, he was a senior program analyst, Mathematica Policy Research, Cambridge, MA.
Article info
Publication history
Published online: January 23, 2013
Accepted:
October 19,
2012
Footnotes
FUNDING/SUPPORT The School Food Environment and Policies Study research was prepared under a Robert Wood Johnson Foundation childhood obesity grant (no. 66279) to disseminate research findings to policy makers, practitioners, researchers, and parents. The opinions expressed are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the views or recommendations of Mathematica Policy Research.
STATEMENT OF POTENTIAL CONFLICT OF INTEREST No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Identification
Copyright
© 2013 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
