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Reagan, Allison B.

Nutritional and Food Sciences

2007

MS

Objective: To assess beverage intake of children aged 6 to 36 months and to examine whether maternal beverage consumption, nutrition knowledge and attitudes influence beverage choice for infants and toddlers. Design: A web-based self-reported questionnaire. Subjects: Mothers, living in the United States, with infants and toddlers between the ages of 6 through 36 months were recruited to participate in an online survey.
Results: Three-hundred-forty-two subjects agreed to participate in the survey and 242 subjects completed the survey. Ninety-nine percent of infants and toddlers aged 6 to 36 months old consumed milk, seventy-one percent consumed juice, thirteen percent consumed soda and forty-two percent consumed non-juice drinks. On average, mothers reported that 6 to 12 month olds drank 25 ounces of milk, 1 ounce of juice, and 1.5 ounces of non-juice drink, 12 to 24 month olds drank 17 ounces of milk, 4.6 ounces of juice and 3.6 ounces of non-juice drink, and 24 to 36 month olds drank 15 ounces of milk, 7.5 ounces of juice and 3.75 ounces of non-juice drink. Soda intake was small in this sample and did not allow for in-depth statistical analysis (n=21).
Conclusions: As the sample of children aged, milk intake decreased as the consumption of juice, soda and non-juice drink increased. Beginning in the 24 to 36 month age group, average daily milk intake fell below dietary recommendations. In this study, there was no relationship between maternal beverage knowledge, attitudes and beverage choices for infants and toddlers.