Photo: Hispanic Teens Less LIkely to Drink Water and Milk Than White Counterparts
Recent findings in the Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR) suggest that teens are drinking healthy beverages, but also consuming soda. It also found that the amount of soda consumed varies among race/ethnicities.
In the June 17 issue of MMWR, Nancy Brener, PhD, of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and her colleagues reported that among 11,429 survey participants, 42 percent had at least one glass of milk a day, and 30.2 percent drank 100 percent fruit juice.
“These are healthful beverages, and milk and 100% fruit juice are sources of key nutrients,” Brener and colleagues stated in the report.
However, among these same teen students, 24.3 percent of them reported also drinking soda every day, 16.1 percent said they had some kind of sports drink each day, and 16.9 percent said they drank some other sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) daily.
The report also stated that among non-Hispanic black, non-Hispanic white, Hispanic, and male and female students, the differences in beverage consumption were significant.
For instance, “Although water consumption did not vary by sex, male students were more likely than female students to drink milk and 100% fruit juices daily. White students were more likely than black students and Hispanic students to drink both water and milk daily, and Hispanic students were more likely than black students to drink milk daily. White students were less likely than black students and Hispanic students to drink 100% fruit juices daily,” the report stated.
It also states that “male students were more likely than female students to drink soda or pop and sports drinks daily, but no sex differences were detected in the daily consumption of other SSBs. For all three types of drinks, black students were more likely than white students and Hispanic students to report daily consumption. In addition, Hispanic students were more likely than white students to drink sports drinks daily. In addition, 15.6% of high school students nationwide drank soda or pop two or more times per day, 9.2% drank sports drinks two or more times per day, and 9.8% drank other SSBs two or more times per day. During the 7 days before the survey, 62.8% of high school students drank any combination of these beverages daily, and 32.9% drank any combination of these beverages two or more times per day.”
In the end, the researchers said, “Targeted efforts are especially needed to reduce consumption of SSBs among male and black adolescents.”
