Worldwide, children and adolescents drank, on average, 23% more sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) in 2018 than they did in 1990, according to a recent study, the same period showing an alarming and corresponding rise in obesity in young people.
The largest increases were in sub-Saharan Africa, said the researchers.
Although tracking the consumption of these drinks by children and adolescents is essential to understanding their impact on disease and the effectiveness of policies to control their consumption, recent national estimates of young people’s intake are unavailable for most countries.
In efforts to rectify this, an international collaboration of researchers used data collected for the Global Dietary Database, which incorporated more than 1 200 national and subnational dietary surveys representing 185 countries, and from which 450 surveys from 118 countries included data on SSB intakes.
Data were analysed for children and adolescents aged between three and 19-years-old in 185 countries between 1990 and 2018, and grouped by age, sex, parental education, and rural or urban residence. Mathematical modelling was used to estimate the average consumption of SSBs for each group.
SSBs were defined as any beverage with added sugars and at least 209kJ (50 kcal) per 237g serving. These included commercial or homemade beverages, soft drinks, energy drinks, fruit drinks, punch and lemonade, but excluded 100% fruit and vegetable juices, non-caloric artificially sweetened drinks and sweetened milk.
The results, published in The BMJ, show that intakes of SSBs among children and adolescents increased by an average of 23% (0.68 servings/week) from 1990 to 2018, with the largest increases in sub-Saharan Africa (2.17 servings/week), reports Mirage News.
In 2018, the average global intake was 3.6 standard servings per week, ranging from 1.3 in south Asia to 9.1 in Latin America and the Caribbean. Yet 56 (30%) of the 185 countries included in the analysis – home to 238m children and adolescents or 10.4% of the global population of young people – had an average SSB intake of seven or more servings/week.
Globally, SSB intakes were higher in older versus younger children and adolescents, those resident in urban versus rural areas, and those of parents with higher versus lower education, with variations by world region.
The increase in intake of SSBs among children and adolescents between 1990 and 2018 was nearly twice the increase seen among adults over the same period, note the authors, who say measures specifically targeting marketing of SSBs to children and adolescents are critical.
They acknowledge some limitations that could have affected the accuracy of estimates, such as the limited availability of dietary survey data (particularly for lower income nations in south Asia and sub-Saharan Africa) and time periods, and the potential for under-reporting or over-reporting by relying on self-reported survey data.
But they say overall their findings “should be taken as the best currently available, but nonetheless imperfect, estimates of SSB intake worldwide”.
“Policies and approaches at both a national level and a more targeted level are needed to reduce intakes of SSBs among young people worldwide, highlighting the larger intakes across all education levels in urban and rural areas in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the growing problem of SSBs for public health in sub- Saharan Africa,” they write.
“Our findings are intended to inform current and future policies to curb SSB intakes, adding to the UN’s 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development.”
Study details
Intake of sugar sweetened beverages among children and adolescents in 185 countries between 1990 and 2018: population based study
Laura Lara-Castor, Renata Micha, Victoria Miller et al.
Published in The BMJ on 7 August 2024
Abstract
Objective
To quantify global intakes of sugar sweetened beverages (SSBs) and trends over time among children and adolescents.
Design
Population based study.
Setting
Global Dietary Database.
Population
Children and adolescents aged 3-19 years in 185 countries between 1990 and 2018, jointly stratified at subnational level by age, sex, parental education, and rural or urban residence.
Results
In 2018, mean global SSB intake was 3.6 (standardized serving=248 g (8 oz)) servings/week (1.3 (95% uncertainly interval 1.0 to 1.9) in south Asia to 9.1 (8.3 to 10.1) in Latin America and the Caribbean). SSB intakes were higher in older versus younger children and adolescents, those resident in urban versus rural areas, and those of parents with higher versus lower education. Between 1990 and 2018, mean global SSB intakes increased by 0.68 servings/week (22.9%), with the largest increases in sub-Saharan Africa (2.17 servings/week; 106%). Of 185 countries included in the analysis, 56 (30.3%) had a mean SSB intake of ≥7 servings/week, representing 238 million children and adolescents, or 10.4% of the global population of young people.
Conclusion
This study found that intakes of SSBs among children and adolescents aged 3-19 years in 185 countries increased by 23% from 1990 to 2018, parallel to the rise in prevalence of obesity among this population globally. SSB intakes showed large heterogeneity among children and adolescents worldwide and by age, parental level of education, and urbanicity. This research should help to inform policies to reduce SSB intake among young people, particularly those with larger intakes across all education levels in urban and rural areas in Latin America and the Caribbean, and the growing problem of SSBs for public health in sub-Saharan Africa.
Mirage News article – Kids’ Sugary Drink Intake Soars 25% from 1990 to 2018 (Open access)
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