Sophia V Hua1, Aviva A Musicus2, Anne N Thorndike3, Erica L Kenney4, Eric B Rimm5. 1. Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts. Electronic address: sophiahua@g.harvard.edu. 2. Department of Social and Behavioral Sciences, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts. 3. Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts. 4. Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts. 5. Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts; Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, Massachusetts.
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Fruit drinks are a major source of added sugar in children's diets. This study describes the associations between front-of-package child-directed marketing (i.e., sports, fantasy, or child-directed imagery; child-directed text) and (1) health-related claims and (2) nutrient content of fruit drinks, 100% juices, and flavored waters. METHODS: Beverage purchase data from a national sample of 1,048 households with children aged 0-5 years were linked with front-of-package label and nutrition data to conduct a content analysis on fruit drinks (n=510), 100% juices (n=337), and noncarbonated flavored waters (n=40) in 2019-2020. Unstratified and stratified regression models assessed the differences in the prevalence of claims (macronutrient, micronutrient, natural/healthy, and fruit and juice), non-nutritive sweeteners, and nutrient content (calories, total sugar, and percent daily value of vitamin C) between drinks with and those without child-directed marketing in 2021. RESULTS: Fruit drinks with child-directed marketing were more likely to show front-of-package micronutrient claims (OR=2.1, 95% CI=1.5, 3.1) and contained more vitamin C (18.5% daily value, 95% CI=1.6, 35.5) than fruit drinks without child-directed marketing. 100% juices with child-directed marketing contained less vitamin C (-35.6% daily value, 95% CI= -57.5, -13.8) and 3.0 (95% CI= -5.5, -0.4) fewer grams of sugar than 100% juices without child-directed marketing. Flavored waters with child-directed marketing contained less vitamin C (-37.9% daily value, 95% CI= -68.1, -7.6) than flavored waters without child-directed marketing. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of child-directed marketing with health-related claims may mislead parents into believing that fruit drinks are healthy and appealing to their children, highlighting the need for government regulation of sugary drink marketing.
INTRODUCTION: Fruit drinks are a major source of added sugar in children's diets. This study describes the associations between front-of-package child-directed marketing (i.e., sports, fantasy, or child-directed imagery; child-directed text) and (1) health-related claims and (2) nutrient content of fruit drinks, 100% juices, and flavored waters. METHODS: Beverage purchase data from a national sample of 1,048 households with children aged 0-5 years were linked with front-of-package label and nutrition data to conduct a content analysis on fruit drinks (n=510), 100% juices (n=337), and noncarbonated flavored waters (n=40) in 2019-2020. Unstratified and stratified regression models assessed the differences in the prevalence of claims (macronutrient, micronutrient, natural/healthy, and fruit and juice), non-nutritive sweeteners, and nutrient content (calories, total sugar, and percent daily value of vitamin C) between drinks with and those without child-directed marketing in 2021. RESULTS: Fruit drinks with child-directed marketing were more likely to show front-of-package micronutrient claims (OR=2.1, 95% CI=1.5, 3.1) and contained more vitamin C (18.5% daily value, 95% CI=1.6, 35.5) than fruit drinks without child-directed marketing. 100% juices with child-directed marketing contained less vitamin C (-35.6% daily value, 95% CI= -57.5, -13.8) and 3.0 (95% CI= -5.5, -0.4) fewer grams of sugar than 100% juices without child-directed marketing. Flavored waters with child-directed marketing contained less vitamin C (-37.9% daily value, 95% CI= -68.1, -7.6) than flavored waters without child-directed marketing. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of child-directed marketing with health-related claims may mislead parents into believing that fruit drinks are healthy and appealing to their children, highlighting the need for government regulation of sugary drink marketing.
Authors: Brandon J Auerbach; Fred M Wolf; Abigail Hikida; Petra Vallila-Buchman; Alyson Littman; Douglas Thompson; Diana Louden; Daniel R Taber; James Krieger Journal: Pediatrics Date: 2017-03-23 Impact factor: 7.124