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Relationship between raised BMI and sugar sweetened beverage and high fat food consumption among children

Lynne Millar1, Bosco Rowland, Melanie Nichols

  • 1WHO Collaborating Centre for Obesity Prevention, Deakin University, Geelong, Australia.

Obesity (Silver Spring, Md.)
|December 10, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Higher intake of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and high-fat foods (HFFs) is linked to increased BMI z-scores in Australian children. This highlights the need for targeted obesity prevention strategies focusing on diet.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Obesity Research
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Childhood obesity is a significant public health concern requiring effective prevention strategies.
  • Understanding the dietary factors influencing body mass index (BMI) in children is essential.
  • Longitudinal data provides critical insights into diet-BMI relationships over time.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To examine the association between the frequency of consuming sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and high-fat foods (HFFs) and body weight in Australian children aged 4–10 years.
  • To provide longitudinal evidence for informing childhood obesity prevention programs.

Main Methods:

  • Analysis of data from 4,164 children across four waves (2004-2010) of the Longitudinal Study of Australian Children.
  • Utilized a multi-level growth model to assess the relationship between SSB and HFF consumption and BMI z-scores.
  • Controlled for baseline BMI z-scores and maternal BMI.

Main Results:

  • Daily consumption of SSBs and HFFs was significantly associated with increased BMI z-scores.
  • Each additional daily serving of SSBs correlated with a 0.015 unit increase in BMI z-score (P < 0.01).
  • Each additional daily serving of HFFs correlated with a 0.014 unit increase in BMI z-score (P < 0.001).
  • Maternal BMI also showed a significant positive association with child BMI z-scores (0.032 units per BMI unit, P < 0.001).

Conclusions:

  • Elevated BMI z-scores in children are strongly linked to the consumption of SSBs and HFFs.
  • Urgent interventions are needed to address the impact of SSBs and HFFs on childhood obesity.
  • Dietary patterns in early childhood significantly influence long-term weight status.
Abstract

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