Factors Associated with Meeting Public Health Recommendations for Beverage Intake in Young Children

Abstract

ObjectiveTo examine factors associated with meeting public health recommendations for the consumption of various beverages: no sugary drinks (SSB), 4‐6 ounces/day 100% fruit juice (FJ), and 2.5 cups/day of milk.Methods:A survey study of 203 parents or legal guardians who identified as a primary care giver of a child between the ages 4‐10 years of age. Questions included the amount of beverages consumed on a typical day. Backward stepwise logistic regression (WALD) was used to examine factors associated with meeting the recommendations. Factors entered were race (non‐hispanic white v. non‐hispanic black), household income (蠄40K v. >40K), marital status (not married v. married), and child age (4‐5 v. 6‐10 yrs).Results:Of the 203 parents, 52% Black, 88% female, 51% 蠄 40K, 43% married, mean age 38.6 (8.1) yrs, and mean child age 7 (2.1) yrs. For FJ, 49% met the recommendation. Whites were 2.4 times more likely to report meeting the recommendation than blacks (95% CI = 1.2 ‐ 4.7, p=.01) and high income was 2.6 times more likely than low income (95% CI =1.3 ‐ 5.2, p = .006). For SSB, 27% met the recommendation, but only marital status was a significant covariate (OR, 2.43, 95% CI = 1.2 ‐ 5.0, p= .02). For milk, 89% met the recommendation, but only child age was a significant covariate (OR, 2.57, 95% CI = 1.0 ‐ 6.4, p= .04).ConclusionThe results highlight a disparity in meeting recommendations for limiting 100% FJ with race and income being significant factors. The results for SSB suggest that single parents struggle more with limiting sugary drinks. Further analyses should examine factors within these disparity groups to understand how to develop interventions that help promote a healthful intake of beverages.