Association of beverage consumption types with weight, height, and body mass index in grade 3 children in northern Taiwan: A cross-sectional study

Wu-Lin Chen; Sing-Chung Li; Chiao-Ming Chen; Yao-Lin Weng; Oliver Chen; Shu-Chi Mu

doi:10.1016/j.nut.2021.111173

Association of beverage consumption types with weight, height, and body mass index in grade 3 children in northern Taiwan: A cross-sectional study

Nutrition. 2021 Oct:90:111173. doi: 10.1016/j.nut.2021.111173. Epub 2021 Jan 29.

Authors

Wu-Lin Chen¹, Sing-Chung Li², Chiao-Ming Chen³, Yao-Lin Weng⁴, Oliver Chen⁵, Shu-Chi Mu⁶

Affiliations

¹ School of Biological Sciences, Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, the University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam, Hong Kong.
² School of Nutrition and Health Sciences, College of Nutrition, Taipei Medical University, Taipei, Taiwan.
³ Department of Food Science, Nutrition, and Nutraceutical Biotechnology, Shih Chien University, Taipei, Taiwan.
⁴ Department of Food and Nutrition, College of Science, Providence University, Taichung City, Taiwan.
⁵ Biofortis, Mérieux NutriSciences, Addison, IL, United States; Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, MA, United States.
⁶ School of Medicine, Fu-Jen Catholic University, New Taipei City, Taiwan; Department of Pediatrics, Shin-Kong Wu Ho-Su Memorial Hospital, Taipei, Taiwan. Electronic address: musc1004@gmail.com.

PMID: 33964489
DOI: 10.1016/j.nut.2021.111173

Abstract

Objectives: The prevalence of convenience and beverage stores in Taiwan provides an environment for children to access different beverages. To our knowledge, the relationship between beverage consumption types and anthropometrics in children has not been reported in Taiwan. The aim of this study was to examine the association between the consumption frequency of beverage type and anthropometrics in third-grade children.

Methods: This was a cross-sectional study conducted in 10 elementary schools in 12 administrative regions distributed evenly throughout Taipei City from June 2017 to December 2018. Parents of 515 children completed a questionnaire with written instructions, which was designed to collect demographic characteristics, frequency of consumed beverage types, and anthropometrics. This study was novel because beverage types were categorized based on sugar and protein contents, namely nutritious, sugar, nutritious and sugar, and non-nutritious and sugar-free. The differences in height and body weight between intake frequencies within each beverage type were determined using analysis of variance test or nonparametric statistics, depending on the confirmation of normal data distribution.

Results: Height and weight of children consuming the most nutritious beverages fell in the highest respective percentile compared with those who did not consume them (P = 0.001 and 0.035, respectively). Consumption of nutritious and sugar and sugar beverages were not associated with height, body weight, or body mass index. Children who consumed more non-nutritious and sugar-free beverages were significantly heavier (P = 0.016) and had a higher body mass index (P = 0.001).

Conclusion: This was the first study conducted on third-grade children in Taiwan showing the beverage consumption type was associated with anthropometrics. Nutritious beverages appear to be a better choice for growth in children. Nevertheless, additional related studies, including an overall assessment of children's calorie and nutrient intakes and related dietary behaviors, are warranted to provide more helpful information for policymakers.

Keywords: Anthropometrics; Frequency; Nutrients; Protein; Sugar.

MeSH terms

Beverages*
Body Mass Index
Child
Cross-Sectional Studies
Diet*
Energy Intake
Humans
Taiwan / epidemiology