Page 10 - Today's Dietitian (February 2020)

Health Matters

ineligible for SNAP. The analysis deter-
mined the share of children in the vari-
ous groups who consumed an SSB on
a typical day as well as the per capita
daily consumption of SSB calories from
2003 to 2014.
This study yielded several significant
findings, notably the following:
• From 2003 to 2014, the share of chil-
dren consuming an SSB on a typical
day declined significantly across all
SNAP participation groups, primarily
driven by declines in soda consump-
tion. Among children who were SNAP
participants, the percentage drinking
SSBs declined from 84.2% to 75.6%,
and per capita daily consumption of
SSB calories declined from 267 to 182
kcal.
• In 2014, nearly 1 in 4 children who
were income-eligible for the SNAP
program consumed a fruit drink on
any given day (SNAP participants:
24.8%; income-eligible nonpartici-
Study Shows Kids and • The share of SNAP participants con-
pants: 23.4%).
Teens Consuming Fewer suming a sports/energy drink on any
given day tripled from 2003 to 2014
Sugary Drinks (from 2.6% to 8.4%).
A ccording to a new study in the American Journal of hunger and food insecurity in the United
Although SNAP’s success in reducing
States is well documented, public health
Preventive Medicine, the share of children and ado-
attention has more recently turned to
lescents consuming sugar-sweetened beverages
(SSBs) and the calories they consume from SSBs
gram: improving diet quality and pre-
declined significantly between 2003 and 2014. the secondary goals of the SNAP pro-
This decline in consumption was found among children and venting obesity among participants.
adolescents in all groups studied, including those participating Senior author Sara N. Bleich, PhD, a
in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP)— professor in the department of health
one-half of whom are children. However, the study demon- policy and management at the Harvard
strated that, even with the decline, current levels remain too T.H. Chan School of Public Health, says,
high, with 61% of all children and 75.6% of SNAP recipients still “Current policy debates are considering
consuming an SSB on a typical day. (SSBs were defined as any whether the diet quality of SNAP par-
nonalcoholic drink with added sugars, including soda, fruit ticipants can be improved by restrict-
drinks, and flavored milks, consumed on a given day.) ing which items can be purchased with
“While the observed declines in children’s sugar-sweetened SNAP benefits. Our analysis is impor-
beverage consumption over the past decade are promising, the tant for these discussions. While our
less favorable trends among children in SNAP suggest the need results confirm that efforts to decrease
for more targeted efforts to reduce sugary drink consumption,” SSB consumption over the past decade
explains lead investigator J. Wyatt Koma, an independent have been successful, they also suggest
researcher in Washington, D.C. that the continued surveillance of chil-
The investigators used nationally representative dietary dren’s SSB consumption by beverage
data for 15,645 children and adolescents (aged 2 to 19) from type is important, given the consump-
the 2003 to 2014 National Health and Nutrition Examination tion trends for sports/energy drinks and
Surveys. They classified children according to self-reported nontraditional SSBs like flavored milks.
participation in the SNAP program and household income: These trends could reduce or eliminate
27.8% were SNAP participants; 15.3% were income-eligible but the past decades’ achievements limiting
not SNAP participants; 29.7% had lower incomes that were SSB consumption.”
ineligible for SNAP; and 27.2% had higher incomes that were SOURCE: ELSEVIER

10 TODAY’S DIETITIAN • FEBRUARY 2020