Many Children Not Eating Enough Vegetables, Consuming Too Many Sweet Drinks

THURSDAY, Feb. 16, 2023 (HealthDay News) -- Many children do not eat fruit or vegetables daily and regularly consume sugar-sweetened beverages, according to research published in the Feb. 17 issue of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.

Heather C. Hamner, Ph.D., from the CDC in Atlanta, and colleagues analyzed data from the 2021 National Survey of Children's Health to examine how frequently children aged 1 to 5 years consumed fruits, vegetables, and sugar-sweetened beverages.

The researchers found that during the preceding week, 32.1, 49.1, and 57.1 percent of children did not eat a daily fruit, did not eat a daily vegetable, and drank a sugar-sweetened beverage at least once, respectively. Consumption estimates varied by state. More than half of children did not eat a vegetable daily during the preceding week in 20 states; these values were 30.4 and 64.3 percent in Vermont and Louisiana, respectively. More than half of children drank a sugar-sweetened beverage at least once during the preceding week in 40 states, with the percentage varying from 38.6 to 79.3 percent in Maine and Mississippi, respectively.

"These data provide information for decision makers and practitioners to ensure that young children have an opportunity for their healthiest start," the authors write. "Collectively, programs and policies aimed at supporting nutrition for young children could lead to improvements in dietary quality and support optimal growth and health."

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