Consumption of sugary beverages among children from municipal schools of early childhood education in the city of Pelotas-RS

The consumption of sugary beverages by children has increased in most countries, this high consumption is one of the main aggravating factors for the development of chronic diseases. The objective of the study was to identify the frequency of consumption of sugary beverages in the family environment. Cross-sectional study, carried out in 2018-19 with children from Municipal Schools of Early Childhood Education in Pelotas-RS. A food frequency questionnaire was used to verify the consumption of sugary beverages. The analysis consisted of the sample description and chisquare test and linear trend, with a significance level of 5%. 548 children were studied, 76.6% consumed sugary beverages four days or more a week. The consumption of soft drinks was 40.2% and was positively associated with greater screen time and when meals were in front of screens. Powdered or boxed juice was consumed by 63.0% and was more frequent among boys and according to increasing age, more time in front of screens, mothers with less education and lower family income. Powdered chocolate powder was consumed by 31.2% and more frequently as the child's age and screen time increased and with lower maternal education and family income in the 2nd tertile. Similar to these findings, other studies found a high prevalence of consumption of these drinks among children. The consumption of sugary beverages is high and the results point to the need for food and nutrition education interventions for families of these children, especially for mothers with less schooling and lower income.