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The trajectories of free sugar intake during childhood, their main sources and its association with socio-economic factors: generation XXI birth cohort

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  24 September 2024

Sofia Sosa Open the ORCID record for Sofia Sosa [Opens in a new window] ,
Milton Severo ,
Ana Rita Marinho Open the ORCID record for Ana Rita Marinho [Opens in a new window]  and
Carla Lopes
Sofia Sosa
Affiliation:
EPIUnit – Institute of Public Health, University of Porto, Porto 4050-600, Portugal Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), Porto 4050-600, Portugal Department of Public Health and Forensic Sciences, and Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto 4200-319, Portugal
Milton Severo
Affiliation:
EPIUnit – Institute of Public Health, University of Porto, Porto 4050-600, Portugal Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), Porto 4050-600, Portugal Insitute of Biomedical Science Abel Salazar, University of Porto, Porto 4050-313, Portugal
Ana Rita Marinho
Affiliation:
EPIUnit – Institute of Public Health, University of Porto, Porto 4050-600, Portugal Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), Porto 4050-600, Portugal Department of Public Health and Forensic Sciences, and Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto 4200-319, Portugal
Carla Lopes*
Affiliation:
EPIUnit – Institute of Public Health, University of Porto, Porto 4050-600, Portugal Laboratory for Integrative and Translational Research in Population Health (ITR), Porto 4050-600, Portugal Department of Public Health and Forensic Sciences, and Medical School, Faculty of Medicine, University of Porto, Porto 4200-319, Portugal
*
*Corresponding author: Dr Carla Lopes, email [email protected]
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Abstract

The study aimed to describe trajectories of free sugar (FS) intake, its main sources and the associations with socio-economic status (SES) in Portuguese children/adolescents evaluated at 4, 7, 10 and 13 years of age from Generation XXI birth-cohort. Dietary intake was assessed through 3-day food diaries (n 5268). Added sugar intake was estimated following a systematic methodology, and FS was based on the WHO definition. A mixed-effects model with linear and quadratic terms for time was used to estimate FS trajectories and its association with SES, adjusting for children’s sex, age, BMI and SES. The FS mean intake (g/day) was 37, 47, 51 and 48 at 4, 7, 10 and 13 years, respectively. FS intake increased 4·6 g/year (CI 95 %: 4·20, 5·04), but velocity decreased by 0·3 g/year2 until 13 years. At all ages, the main food source was sweets. Some item’s consumption declined (sweets 25–21 % and yoghurts 22–7 %) as children grew older. Inversely, soft drink intake increased (9–18 %). Boys and children from younger mothers had higher FS intake, whereas higher maternal–SES was associated with lower children’s FS intake: occupational status (β = –3·5; 95 % CI: –4·97, –1·94), years of education (β = –3·7; 95 % CI: –4·93, –2·40) and household income (β = –4·9; 95 % CI: –6·50, –3·27). The FS trajectories were similar by SES categories but different by obesity status (interaction term β = –1·04; CI 95 % (–1·50, –0·59)). An increasing FS trajectory during childhood is mainly driven by an increasing intake of soft drinks and nectars. The FS trajectory pattern did not change according to SES categories, but children’s FS intake was always higher when their mothers had a lower SES.

Keywords

Free sugar intakeLongitudinal studiesBirth cohortSocio-economic status
Type
Research Article
Information
British Journal of Nutrition , Volume 132 , Issue 5 , 14 September 2024 , pp. 640 - 650
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2024. Published by Cambridge University Press on behalf of The Nutrition Society

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