Child obesity is ‘being fuelled by sugar-laden fizzy drinks in junk food meal deals’
Kids consumed an extra 179 calories when the meal deals gave them the option of having a fizzy drink, compared with non-sweetened drinks
The spiralling epidemic of obese kids is being fuelled by sugary fizzy drinks offered as part of junk food 'meal deals', experts today warned.
Kids consumed an extra 179 calories when the meal deals gave them the option of having a fizzy drink, sweetened tea, juice or flavoured milk.
That's compared to youngsters who drank non-sweetened beverages or nothing, a new study has shown.
The research suggests consumption levels of sugary drinks are closely tied to their automatic inclusion in "packages" at fast food restaurants.
Professor Brian Elbel, of New York University, said: "Our study strongly suggests uncoupling sugary drinks from combo meal deals might reduce high calorie beverage consumption and help to curb childhood obesity rates fuelled by these kinds of liquid calories."
Our study strongly suggests uncoupling sugary drinks from combo meal deals might reduce high calorie beverage consumption and help to curb childhood obesity rates fuelled by these kinds of liquid calories
Professor Brian Elbel, of New York University
The research published in the American Journal of Public Health also found an average 82 more drink calories were consumed in bundled meals than when beverages were bought separately.
And parents who bought combo meals were 24 per cent more likely to buy a high calorie sugary drink.
The study surveyed 483 boys and girls aged between one and 18 who dined in or took food to go from a McDonald's, Burger King, KFC, Wendy's or Subway in New York and New Jersey between January 2013 and June 2014.
The parents were interviewed about their purchases based on meal receipts.
The high calorie levels calculated mean it is highly likely the sugary drinks caused many youngsters to exceed the maximum, recommended limit of between 120 and 180 calories set in US national dietary guidelines.
Prof Elbel said about 17 per cent of Americans under the age of 19 are estimated to be obese, a situation caused in part by people's consumption of too many calories from sugar.
The researchers say their analysis is the first to assess factors that may be driving sugary drink consumption at fast food restaurants.
Fewer than half (42 per cent) of the participants had a combo meal, but 74 per cent of such purchases were made by kids.
The survey also found half of all beverages (49 per cent) were sodas.
The rest were juice (38 per cent), flavoured milk (5 per cent), regular milk (2 per cent) and water (1 per cent).
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Another 5 per cent consisted of sweetened teas, lemonade, and hot chocolate.
Those who bought their meals 'to go' averaged 14 fewer drink calories than those who ate in the restaurant.
Teenagers were 22 per cent more likely to have sugary drinks than younger children, and males were 31 percent more likely than females.
The new analysis comes in the wake of efforts by several US cities to restrict access to supersized soft drinks, mainly by imposing higher sales taxes.
Such taxes failed to pass in New York City in 2014, but were later that year introduced in Berkeley, California, and this year in Philadelphia.
Added Prof Elbel: "Although our study does not prove cause and effect with respect to obesity and bundled fast-food meals, policy makers will ideally be able to use research like ours to guide them in formulating public health policies that may effectively decrease consumption of unhealthy sugar sweetened beverages."