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Overweight among low-income preschool children associated with the consumption of sweet drinks: Missouri, 1999-2002.

Welsh JA, Cogswell ME, Rogers S, Rockett H, Mei Z, Grummer-Strawn LM

Division of Nutrition and Physical Activity, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Mailstop K-25, 4770 Buford Hwy NE, Atlanta, Georgia 30341-3717, USA. jwelsh1@cdc.gov

OBJECTIVE: To examine the association between sweet drink consumption and overweight among preschool children. METHODS: A retrospective cohort design was used to examine the association between sweet drink consumption and overweight at follow-up among 10904 children who were aged 2 and 3 years and had height, weight, and Harvard Service Food Frequency Questionnaire data collected between January 1999 and December 2001 and height and weight data collected 1 year later. Sweet drinks included vitamin C-containing juices, other juices, fruit drinks, and sodas as listed on the Harvard Service Food Frequency Questionnaire. Logistic regression was used to adjust for age; gender; race/ethnicity; birth weight; and intake of high-fat foods, sweet foods, and total calories. Results were stratified by baseline BMI. RESULTS: Among children who were normal or underweight at baseline (BMI <85th percentile), the association between sweet drink consumption and development of overweight was positive but not statistically significant. Children who were at risk for overweight at baseline (BMI 85th-<95th percentile) and consumed 1 to <2 drinks/day, 2 to <3 drinks/day, and > or =3 drinks/day were, respectively, 2.0 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.3-3.2), 2.0 (95% CI: 1.2-3.2), and 1.8 (95% CI: 1.1-2.8) times as likely to become overweight as the referent (<1 drink/day). Children who were overweight at baseline (BMI > or =95th percentile) and consumed 1 to <2 drinks/day, 2 to <3 drinks/day, and > or =3 drinks/day were, respectively, 2.1, 2.2, and 1.8 times as likely to remain overweight as the referent. CONCLUSIONS: Reducing sweet drink consumption might be 1 strategy to manage the weight of preschool children. Additional studies are needed to understand the mechanism by which such consumption contributes to overweight.

Published 2 February 2005 in Pediatrics, 115(2): e223-9.
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