Objective: To describe beverages intake and its association with myopia among 11-14-year-old children in China.
Methods: Multi-stage stratified cluster random sampling was used and children aged 11 to 14 years were selected from 28 cities and rural areas in 14 provinces in China, and a total of 12 397 children were included in this study. Information including demographic characteristics, myopia status, dietary intake, physical activity, screen time, sleep duration were collected from questionnaire survey.
Results: During 2019-2021, the prevalence of myopia among children aged 11 to 14 in China was 45.0%. The median beverages intake was 42.7 g/d. Children who did not drink beverages and whose beverages intake was <150 g/d and ≥150 g/d accounted for 42.8%, 44.8% and 48.4%, respectively. Multivariate Logistic regression analysis showed that girls' beverages intake ≥150 g/d was still a risk factor for the prevalence of myopia after controlling for confounding factors such as age, area, physical activity, screen time, sleep duration and intake of sugary food(OR=1.24, 95%CI 1.08-1.42, P<0.05). Among children with myopia, mild myopia, moderate and above myopia accounted for 71.6% and 28.4% among boys and 73.8% and 26.3% among girls, respectively. There was no statistically significant regression between beverages intake and myopia in boys and girls regardless of whether confounding factors were adjusted(P >0.05).
Conclusion: Children's beverages intake was generally common in China in 2019-2021. Children who consumed higher beverages were more likely to have myopia than that did not consume beverages.
Keywords: beverages; children; myopia.