527 - Longitudinal patterns of beverage intake in treatment-seeking obese children in eastern NC using the validated BEVQ-15

Poster Number: 527
Publication Number: 527.239

Zahra S. Mohseni, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States; Suzanne Lazorick, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States; Dmitry Tumin, Brody School of Medicine at East Carolina University, Greenville, NC, United States

Background: Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption remains a major target for interventions to treat severe obesity for children. Understanding how total energy consumption is divided among various calorie-dense beverages within the course of obesity treatment remains unclear.

Objective: Using the validated BEVQ15 in children with severe obesity presenting to a pediatric weight management clinic, examine how beverage calories (kcal) changed during the course of treatment and how kcal intake from SSB was associated with relative BMI.

Design/Methods: A retrospective chart review included patients aged 2-18 years who completed a first visit in Jan 2017-Dec 2019 and had at least one follow up with beverage intake data. The primary outcome of this study was total beverage kcal consumed from 100% fruit juice and SSBs. Additional analysis included beverage kcal from each specific type of beverage among the following: (1) soda, (2) 100% fruit juice (juice), and (3) other sweetened beverages. The primary independent variable included treatment duration in months. Relative BMI at each visit was expressed as percent of the 95th sex- and age-specific percentile (%of95BMI).

Results: The analytic sample included 155 patients and 341 visits. Median age was 11 years  with 62 boys, 93 girls and median follow up duration of 3.1 months. At baseline, the median %of95BMI was 135 and median kcal/day intake was 436 from juice and 263 from SSB (Table 1). At the last available follow-up visit with beverage data, %of95BMI increased to 138 and median SSB kcal/day intake decreased to 78 while SSBs and juice combined decreased to 133 (Table 2). Each additional month after baseline was associated with 7 fewer calories per day from SSB and juice combined (95% confidence interval: -11.6, -2) and with 0.5 percentage point increase in %of95BMI (p=0.012). For each additional 100 calories consumed per day from SSB and juice, %of95BMI increased by 1.4 percentage points. (Table 3)Conclusion(s): Data in this study were limited to visits with measures of beverage intake, so BMI changes at subsequent visits may not be represented. Children in this treatment program tended to drink less calories from beverages over time, however this decrease was not accompanied by a decrease in %of95BMI within the study period. SSB other than soda accounted for the majority of beverage kcal intake, therefore potentially providing targeted direction for interventions. The BEVQ15 tool was useful during treatment to quantify and better understand energy intake from beverages in children with obesity.
Table 1Patient characteristics at baseline (Nf155).
Table 2.Energy intake from beverages at baseline and most recent visit