Certain strategies help reduce sugary beverage consumption in children

By Katherine Shagoury

A recent analysis published in Obesity Reviews shows that some strategies can successfully reduce the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages in young children.

Researchers analyzed and summarized evidence for 27 strategies designed to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among children aged 0 to 5 years old who were living in a high-income country. Each included study evaluated a specific intervention and was published between January 2000 and December 2017.

Successful strategies included in-person individual education, in-person group education, passive education (such as pamphlets), use of technology, training for childcare and healthcare providers, and changes to the physical access of beverages.

“Although we’ve seen some declines in the past decade, sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among young children in the United States remains unacceptably high,” said Kelsey Vercammen, lead author of the study and a Master of Science student at Harvard T. H Chan School of Public Health. “Since these drinks have been linked to weight gain and other negative health effects, it is critically important to identify successful strategies to reduce consumption.”

The full study can be found here.