Soft Drinks and Desire to Drink in Preschoolers
Author Information
Author(s): Claire Sweetman, Jane Wardle, Lucy Cooke
Primary Institution: University College London
Hypothesis
How does the 'Desire to Drink' relate to drink consumption, preferences, and BMI in children?
Conclusion
Children with a greater desire to drink consume sweetened soft drinks more frequently and have a stronger liking for them.
Supporting Evidence
- Children scoring higher on the Desire to Drink scale preferred sweetened soft drinks more.
- Desire to Drink was positively related to more frequent consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks.
- No relationship was observed between Desire to Drink scores and liking for water or 100% fruit juice.
Takeaway
Kids who really want to drink tend to like sweet drinks more and drink them more often.
Methodology
The study involved measuring children's drink preferences and consumption, along with their BMI, using the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire.
Potential Biases
Potential bias due to reliance on mothers' reports of children's drink consumption.
Limitations
The study is cross-sectional, limiting the ability to determine causal relationships.
Participant Demographics
Participants were same-sex twin children with a mean age of 11.2 years, 56% female, and 53% dizygotic.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p = 0.016 for sweetened soft drinks preference
Confidence Interval
95% CI for sweetened soft drinks preference: 0.023–0.217
Statistical Significance
p<0.05
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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