Effect of beverage intake on body mass index(BMI) in children and adolescents

Objective To study the situation of beverage intake in children and adolescents in Shandong province and to explore the impact of beverage intake on body weight among the children and adolescents for effective interventions.Methods A total of 2 400 children and adolescents were selected from 15 schools in 5 cities in Shandong province with stratified cluster random sampling and surveyed with a questionnaire.Results There were 38.5% of the subjects with normal weight and 35.7% with overweight spending 5-15 yuan RMB per week on beverage and 36.7% of the obesity subjects spending 1-4 yuan per week,with significant differences among the three groups(P<0.05).The percentage of the subjects mainly selecting plastic bottle beverage was 57.4%,59.5%,and 60.1% for normal,overweight,and obesity group;the percentage of the subjects drinking plant-protein beverage frequently was 6.8%,3.5%,and 4.9% for normal,overweight,and obesity groups;and that of drinking coffee beverage frequently was 9.2%,11.6%,and 9.4% for the three groups,respectively.There were significant differences in the percentages among the three groups(P<0.05).The consumption of tea beverage in obesity group(122.6±76.8 mL) was higher than that of normal group(104.8±61.8 mL),with a significant difference(P＜0.01).Conclusion Drinking baverage is prevalent among children and adolescents and decreasing the consumption of beverages among the children and adolescents is important for their health.