(P07-024-23) Factors Associated With Sugar Sweetened Beverage Intake Among Children 1-5 Years of Age, National Survey of Children’s Health – United States, 2021

Objectives: The study objective was to investigate factors associated with sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake among US children aged 1–5 years.

Methods: We used data from the 2021 National Survey of Children’s Health among US children (1–5 years). The outcome variable was SSB intake in the previous week, categorized as 0, 1–3, and ≥4 times/week. Explanatory variables included child’s age, child’s sex, child’s race/ethnicity, maternal age, parental education, household income, primary household language, food situation in the past 12 months, frequency of family eating meals together, metropolitan statistical area, and government food assistance benefits in the past 12 months. We performed chi-square tests for unadjusted associations. We then performed a multinomial logistic regression including all aforementioned factors to examine adjusted associations with SSB intake.

Results: We found that 36% of children aged 1–5 years consumed SSBs 1–3 times/week and 21% consumed SSBs ≥4 times/week. A higher proportion of older children consumed SSBs compared to younger children. Based on chi-square tests, all factors except for child’s sex were significantly associated with SSB intake. Compared to non-consumers, significant factors associated with greater odds of consuming SSB ≥4 times/week were non-Hispanic Black (aOR=2.33) or Hispanic (aOR=1.68) children (vs. non-Hispanic, White), highest level of parental education in the household ≤high school (vs. college degree or more; aOR=2.74), household income < 130% FPL (vs. ≥350% FPL; aOR=1.74), using Spanish as a primary household language (vs. English; aOR=1.94), marginal food sufficiency in the household (vs. food sufficient; aOR=1.73), family ate meals together 0–3 days/week (vs. every day; aOR=1.40), living in a metropolitan statistical area (vs. not metropolitan statistical area; aOR=1.38), and receiving government food assistance in the past 12 months (vs. no government food assistance in the past 12 months; aOR=1.35).

Conclusions: Several sociodemographic factors were significantly associated with SSB intake among children aged 1–5 years and could be considered in designing interventions that address SSB consumption in young children.

Funding Sources: None; This study used publicly available data.