Sugar-sweetened beverage intake and overweight in children from a Mediterranean country

Objective: To assess the association between sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and overweight in children from a Mediterranean country. Design: The children's dietary intake was measured using a semi-quantitative FFQ completed by the parents. Overall, 2512 questionnaires were returned and 837 children were removed, leaving a final sample of 1675 children, aged between 5 and 10 years. Height and weight were measured according to international standards, and BMI was calculated. The definition of overweight and obesity was based on average centiles according to the International Obesity Task Force cutoffs. To determine the magnitude of the association between SSB consumption and overweight, OR estimates, including CI, were computed using unconditional logistic regression, adjusting for confounders. Setting: Elementary schools throughout the city of Porto, Portugal. Subjects: We invited 5867 children, randomly selected, and their parents to participate in the study. Of those schools that agreed to take part, 3391 parents signed and returned the fully filled out consent form. Results: The prevalence of overweight (including obesity) was 36.6% for girls and 38.8% for boys. With regard to SSB consumption (serving/d), no differences between with overweight and non-overweight children were found even after adjustment for confounders (1-2 servings/d: OR = 1.67, 95% CI 0.76, 3.66, in girls; OR = 1.63, 95% CI 0.76, 3.47, in boys; and >2 servings/d: OR = 0.63, 95% CI 0.33, 1.22, in girls; OR = 0.64, 95% CI 0.33, 1.52, in boys). Conclusions: The intake of SSB was not associated with increased risk of overweight in Portuguese schoolchildren.