Ethnic Disparities in Beverage Consumption for American Infants and Children
Authors: Demmer Elieke , Cifelli Christopher J , Houchins Jenny A , Fulgoni Victor L 
Published: November 2023

Beverages contribute nearly a quarter of the total daily calories for children in their first 5 years of life. With this large caloric contribution it's important to understand what additional nutrients these beverages contribute to the diet of American infants and children. Our hypothesis was that nutrient dense beverages, such as milk and 100% juice, provide a significant percentage of essential nutrients to the diets of infants and young children. Thus, the goal of this project was to examine beverage consumption in children (0–6 mo, 6–11 mo, 12–23 mo, 2–3 yrs, and 4–5 yrs), among varying ethnic groups (Non‐Hispanic White (NHW), Non‐Hispanic Black (NHB), Hispanic (H), and Asian (A)). Data from the dietary component of 2011–2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) were used in this study (n=2,431). Beverages were broken down as follows; dairy (milk, flavored milk, milk shakes, dairy drinks, milk substitutes), 100% juice (citrus, apple, other fruit, vegetable, baby juice), diet beverages (soft drinks, sport drinks, energy drinks, other), sweetened beverages (soft drinks, fruit drinks, sport drinks, energy drinks, nutritional beverages), coffee & tea, and water (tap, bottled, flavored, carbonated, enhanced, fortified, baby water). Results show that dietary recommendations of exclusive breastmilk or formula feeding for the first 6 mo are not always followed, with 12% of children 0–5 mo already consuming 100% juice, providing 1% of total calories for this age group. Additionally the recommendation of not drinking any milk before 1 yr of age is not always followed either as 22% of 6–11 mo children already drinking milk, providing 7% of total calories. As children get older, sweetened beverage consumption rapidly increases. For example, 60% of 4–5 yrs children consume sweetened beverages, providing 6% of their total calories, while only 55% drink water. Along with the increase in these energy dense, yet nutrient poor beverages the intake of nutrient dense beverages such as milk and 100% juice begin to decline at 2 yrs. Further, ethnic disparities exist among beverage intakes across the age groups examined. Throughout all ages, NHB children consume the least milk and the most sweetened beverages as well as 100% juice. During the second year of life NHB children consume nearly 2, 3, and 6 times as much sweetened beverages than H, NHW, and A toddlers, respectively. The decrease in nutrient dense beverage consumption is complemented by a decrease in the number of children who meet the EAR/AI for the nutrients of concern (e.g., vitamin D, calcium, potassium, and iron). Behaviors that are adopted in childhood tend to persist throughout adulthood, thus nutrition education to promote nutrient dense beverage consumption, such as milk and 100% juice, and also water, in place of sugar sweetened beverages can have a large and positive impact on overall childhood health, especially among NHB.

Support or Funding Information

Funding provided by National Dairy Council