Consumption pattern of liquid dairy products and soft beverages among preschool children in nine areas of China

Objective To explore current status of liquid dairy products and soft beverages consumption among urban and rural preschool children in China.Methods Totally 977 preschool children and their parents selected from seven urban and two rural areas with cluster random sampling were surveyed using a self-designed questionnaire on general characteristics and consumptions of liquid dairy products and soft beverages and the differences in the consumptions between urban and rural preschool children were compared.Results Averagely 79.3% of urban preschool children consumed liquid dairy products frequently(more than 4 times per week) and the proportion was higher than that of the rural children(38.5%, P<0.001).The proportion of rural children who seldomly consumed(less than once a week) liquid dairy products was 30%, which was much higher than that in the urban children(only 6.6%, P<0.001).The urban children consumed a total of 228 ml liquid dairy per day averagely, but the rural children consumed only a total of 57 ml liquid dairy per day averagely(P<0.001).There were 67.5% of rural children and 40.7% of urban children consumed sugar-sweetened beverages frequently(P<0.001).Rural children consumed more soft drinks per week compared with the urban children(1400 ml vs. 587 ml, P<0.001).Configuration milk beverage and lactobacillus beverage were most popular among preschool children;other popular beverage types were tea drinks, juice, plant protein beverage, and sodas orderly.Conclusion The consumption of dairy among rural preschool children was not enough, but the rural children consumed much more soft drinks compared with the urban children.Configuration milk beverage was popular among preschool children in both urban and rural areas.Strengthening nutrition education in rural areas is recommended in order to help preschool children and their caregivers identifying and selecting right drinks.