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Dietary sugar intake among preschool-aged children: a cross-sectional study

Anisha Mahajan1, Jessica Yu1, Jaimie L Hogan1

  • 1Departments of Human Health and Nutritional Sciences (Mahajan, Yu, Hogan, Carriero, Duncan, Ma), and Family Relations and Applied Nutrition (Jewell, Buchholz, Haines), and Guelph Family Health Study (Annis, Sadowski), and Department of Mathematics and Statistics (Darlington), University of Guelph, Guelph, Ont.

CMAJ Open
|September 15, 2021
PubMed

Insights

Most preschool children consume excessive free sugar, exceeding recommendations. However, sugar intake was not significantly linked to body weight or other measures in this study.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric Nutrition
  • Public Health
  • Childhood Obesity

Background:

  • Excessive sugar intake in young children is a significant public health concern.
  • Understanding sugar consumption patterns is crucial for addressing childhood health issues.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To assess total, free, and added sugar intake in preschool-aged children.
  • To investigate the relationship between sugar consumption and anthropometric measures like body weight and waist circumference.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional cohort study involving 109 preschool children (1.5-5 years).
  • Sugar intake was analyzed from 3-day food records using specialized software and manual review.
  • Linear regression models were used to examine associations between sugar intake and anthropometric data.

Main Results:

  • Mean daily intakes: 86g total sugar, 31g free sugar, 26g added sugar.
  • 80% of children exceeded the recommended free sugar intake (5% of daily energy).
  • Bakery products were the primary source of free and added sugars. A weak inverse association was found between free sugar intake and waist circumference.

Conclusions:

  • Preschool children frequently exceed free sugar recommendations.
  • No significant associations were found between overall sugar intake and measured anthropometric indicators.
  • Findings can inform public health policies and early intervention programs for sugar consumption in young children.
Abstract

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