News • Children's Food Campaign
Fast food choices influence kids' calorie consumption
Children who order a combination meal at fast-food restaurants are more likely to get a sugary drink that ups the meal's total calories, according to a new study.
Researchers found those beverages such as soft drinks, sweet tea and flavored milk add about 179 more calories to meals.
“Sugar-sweetened beverages are increasingly linked to health problems such as diabetes,” said senior study author Brian Elbel of the New York University School of Medicine.
“Any information we can find about why this high-risk group of kids is purchasing these drinks is important,” he said. “We haven’t had a great sense of who these kids are, especially at fast food restaurants.”
The research team analyzed nearly 500 receipts and surveys collected in fast-food restaurants in New York City and in nearby Newark and Jersey City, New Jersy during 2013 and 2014. They found that 60 percent of the drinks bought for children were sugar-sweetened, and combination meals were more likely to include a sugary drink.
The full article can be found here.
Published Thursday 20 October 2016
Children's Food Campaign: Better food and food teaching for children in schools, and protection of children from junk food marketing are the aims of Sustain's high-profile Children's Food Campaign. We also want clear food labelling that can be understood by everyone, including children.
