Free sugar intake from snacks and beverages in Canadian preschool- and toddler-aged children: a cross-sectional study

Table 3 Snack intake by snack categories and their contributions to free sugar energy intake among children^a

Snack Category	Number of Children (Percent)			Children’s %TE from FS Mean (95% CI)
Snack Category	≥ 1	1	≥ 2	Children’s %TE from FS Mean (95% CI)
ALL SNACKS	260 (97)	17 (6)	243 (91)	4.0 (3.5 – 4.5)
BEVERAGE SNACKS	121 (45)	81 (30)	40 (15)	1.8 (1.3 – 2.3)
Sugar-Containing Beverages	53 (20)	41 (15)	12 (4)	4.1 (3.2 – 4.9)
Plain Milk	73 (27)	49 (18)	24 (9)	0
FOOD SNACKS	257 (96)	24 (9)	233 (87)	3.2 (2.8 – 3.6)
Candy and Sweet Condiments	56 (21)	50 (19)	6 (2)	3.0 (2.3 – 3.8)
Bakery Products	148 (55)	108 (40)	40 (15)	2.4 (2.1 – 2.7)
Dairy Products and Alternates	94 (35)	69 (26)	25 (9)	1.1 (0.7 – 1.6)
Savory Snacks	111 (42)	93 (35)	18 (7)	0.3 (0.2 – 0.5)
Fruits	191 (72)	86 (32)	105 (39)	0.5 (0.3 – 0.8)
Vegetables and Legumes (except fried potatoes)	44 (16)	30 (11)	14 (5)	0.01 (0.0 – 0.03)
Cereals and Grain Products	29 (11)	24 (9)	5 (2)	-
Nuts and Seeds	42 (16)	35 (13)	7 (3)	0.1 (0.1 – 0.2)
Mixed Dishes, Sides and Entrees	16 (6)	~	~	-
Frozen Desserts	12 (4)	~	~	-
Meats, Eggs and Substitutes	11 (4)	~	~	-

FS Free Sugar, TE Total Energy
^aThis table summarizes the number and percent of children 1.5–5 years who consumed different snack categories, relative to the total number of children (n = 267). Percent was calculated to identify the proportion of children who consumed snack categories at least once (≥ 1) over 24-h, then calculated for the more discrete categories of one time (1) or two or more times (≥ 2). Not all children were reported to consume a snack (n = 7). Mean children’s %TE from FS was calculated for categories that were consumed by ≥ 30 children. For these calculations, only data from children who consumed each respective category were used (i.e., data from children who did not consume the snack category over 24-h were not included in the mean). Generalized estimating equations were used to account for any dependence between sibling participants [23]. For categories consumed by < 30 children, mean %TE from FS was not calculated and was instead denoted with a dash. Categories consumed and/or breakdowns were not reported and were denoted as ~ whenever < 5 children were identified. Sugar-containing beverages included beverages with sugars added during processing + 100% fruit juice. An expanded version of this table including food and beverage items included in each snack category can be found in Additional File 4

ISSN: 2055-0928