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Children practice more unhealthy eating habits during summer break
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Children are more likely to consume sugary foods, eat fewer vegetables and watch more TV during summer break than when school is in session, regardless of family income, according to research in the Journal of School Health.
In an analysis of national school health survey data from U.S. children in first through 12th grade, researchers also found that older boys were more likely to consume more calories, more sugar-sweetened beverages and added sugars.
Y. Claire Wang , MD , ScD, an associate professor of health policy and management at Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health, and colleagues analyzed data from 6,453 children and adolescents aged 6 to 19 years participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey between 2003 and 2008. Within the cohort, 5,114 children completed the survey while in school; 1,339 children completed the survey during summer break.
Y. Claire Wang
Researchers selected three main dietary measures: total calories consumed (kcal/day), number of cups of vegetables consumed (including or excluding potatoes) and teaspoons of added sugar. Researchers also compared self-reported student screen time and exercise patterns and any changes that took place over summer vacation.
Researchers used linear regression to compare children in households with incomes greater than and less than 185% of the poverty level, the eligibility criteria for qualifying for free or reduced-price school lunch.
Researchers found that, after adjusting for family income level, summer break was associated with a higher consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (an additional 3 oz/day; P = .016) and a slightly lower intake of non-potato vegetables (0.2 cups less per day; P = .016). Results were similar when stratified by school level.
Researchers also found that children watched an average of 20 minutes more TV per day during the summer break, whereas exercise habits remained mostly unchanged, with an average of 5 minutes more activity per day during the summer months.
“Across the whole age range, virtually none of the interaction terms between income and school break effects were significant for the behavioral factors studied, suggesting that break is not significantly ‘less healthy’ for lower-income students than for higher-income students,” the researchers wrote. “In fact, in several circumstances, the income disparities were narrowed when children were out of school,” they wrote.
“The school environment remains essential for shaping healthy eating and active living behavior, and schools can play a leadership role in fostering a healthy transition from the school year to summer breaks,” Wang said in a press release. “We see from our results a need for school-based obesity prevention efforts to go beyond the school day and the school year.” – by Regina Schaffer
Disclosure: The researchers report no relevant financial disclosures.
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