Differences in children’s food and beverage consumption between school and summer: three-year findings from the what’s UP (Undermining Prevention) with summer observational cohort study
Abstract Background Summer vacation is a time when youth gain excessive weight. A key driver of unhealthy weight gain is poor dietary quality. The absence of consistent structure (e.g., school), is hypothesized to be one of the reasons for lower diet quality during summer. This study examined differ...
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BMC
2025-07-01
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23446-0 |
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| author | Michael W. Beets Sarah Burkart Christopher D. Pfledderer Elizabeth Adams R. Glenn Weaver Bridget Armstrong Keith Brazendale Xuanxuan Zhu Alexander McLain Gabrielle Turner-McGrievy Russell Pate Andrew Kaczynski Amanda Fairchild Brian Saelens Hannah Parker Amy L. Yaroch Emily Eglitis Anthony J. Holmes |
| author_facet | Michael W. Beets Sarah Burkart Christopher D. Pfledderer Elizabeth Adams R. Glenn Weaver Bridget Armstrong Keith Brazendale Xuanxuan Zhu Alexander McLain Gabrielle Turner-McGrievy Russell Pate Andrew Kaczynski Amanda Fairchild Brian Saelens Hannah Parker Amy L. Yaroch Emily Eglitis Anthony J. Holmes |
| author_sort | Michael W. Beets |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Background Summer vacation is a time when youth gain excessive weight. A key driver of unhealthy weight gain is poor dietary quality. The absence of consistent structure (e.g., school), is hypothesized to be one of the reasons for lower diet quality during summer. This study examined differences in school and summer dietary quality among a diverse cohort of children across three years. We also examined the impact of attending structured programs on children’s diets. Methods Parents of 1,032 children (age 5–14 years, 48% girls) completed a time use diary each day for 14-days during school (April/May) and again in summer (July) from 2021 to 2023, for a total of 6 timepoints. The daily diary collected information on the child’s location and dietary intake for that day. Mixed-effects models examined the odds (OR) of consuming a food/beverage (e.g., fruit, vegetable, soda, salty snacks) on a given day during school vs. summer, overall and by income. Models also examined the impact of attending structured programming during summer (e.g., summer day camp) on the likelihood of consumption. Results A total of 39,983 time use diaries were completed. Overall, children were less likely to consume fruit, vegetables, milk, 100% juice, and salty snacks (OR range 0.63 to 0.87), and they were more likely to consume non-carbonated sweetened beverages, soda, frozen desserts, and fast food (OR range 1.17 to 1.63) during the summer compared to school. On summer days with structured programming, children were more likely to consume fruits, vegetables, milk, salty snacks, sweetened beverages (OR range 1.13 to 1.45), and they were less likely to consume frozen desserts, fast food, and soda (OR range 0.63 to 0.90). Few differences were observed between income groups. Conclusions Children were less likely to report consumption of healthier foods/beverages and more likely to report consumption of unhealthier foods/beverages during summer compared to school. Attending structured programming during summer is associated with improved diet– suggesting such settings have potential to modify dietary intake. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-b75e357712cd4c1bb9d9e842b3eb763c |
| institution | Kabale University |
| issn | 1471-2458 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-07-01 |
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| spelling | doaj-art-b75e357712cd4c1bb9d9e842b3eb763c2025-08-20T04:02:50ZengBMCBMC Public Health1471-24582025-07-0125111110.1186/s12889-025-23446-0Differences in children’s food and beverage consumption between school and summer: three-year findings from the what’s UP (Undermining Prevention) with summer observational cohort studyMichael W. Beets0Sarah Burkart1Christopher D. Pfledderer2Elizabeth Adams3R. Glenn Weaver4Bridget Armstrong5Keith Brazendale6Xuanxuan Zhu7Alexander McLain8Gabrielle Turner-McGrievy9Russell Pate10Andrew Kaczynski11Amanda Fairchild12Brian Saelens13Hannah Parker14Amy L. Yaroch15Emily Eglitis16Anthony J. Holmes17Arnold School of Public Health, University of South CarolinaArnold School of Public Health, University of South CarolinaSchool of Public Health, UT Health HoustonArnold School of Public Health, University of South CarolinaArnold School of Public Health, University of South CarolinaArnold School of Public Health, University of South CarolinaDepartment of Health Sciences, University of Central FloridaArnold School of Public Health, University of South CarolinaArnold School of Public Health, University of South CarolinaArnold School of Public Health, University of South CarolinaArnold School of Public Health, University of South CarolinaArnold School of Public Health, University of South CarolinaCollege of Arts and Sciences, University of South CarolinaSeattle Children’s HospitalArnold School of Public Health, University of South CarolinaCenter for Nutrition & Health ImpactUniversity of South AustraliaArnold School of Public Health, University of South CarolinaAbstract Background Summer vacation is a time when youth gain excessive weight. A key driver of unhealthy weight gain is poor dietary quality. The absence of consistent structure (e.g., school), is hypothesized to be one of the reasons for lower diet quality during summer. This study examined differences in school and summer dietary quality among a diverse cohort of children across three years. We also examined the impact of attending structured programs on children’s diets. Methods Parents of 1,032 children (age 5–14 years, 48% girls) completed a time use diary each day for 14-days during school (April/May) and again in summer (July) from 2021 to 2023, for a total of 6 timepoints. The daily diary collected information on the child’s location and dietary intake for that day. Mixed-effects models examined the odds (OR) of consuming a food/beverage (e.g., fruit, vegetable, soda, salty snacks) on a given day during school vs. summer, overall and by income. Models also examined the impact of attending structured programming during summer (e.g., summer day camp) on the likelihood of consumption. Results A total of 39,983 time use diaries were completed. Overall, children were less likely to consume fruit, vegetables, milk, 100% juice, and salty snacks (OR range 0.63 to 0.87), and they were more likely to consume non-carbonated sweetened beverages, soda, frozen desserts, and fast food (OR range 1.17 to 1.63) during the summer compared to school. On summer days with structured programming, children were more likely to consume fruits, vegetables, milk, salty snacks, sweetened beverages (OR range 1.13 to 1.45), and they were less likely to consume frozen desserts, fast food, and soda (OR range 0.63 to 0.90). Few differences were observed between income groups. Conclusions Children were less likely to report consumption of healthier foods/beverages and more likely to report consumption of unhealthier foods/beverages during summer compared to school. Attending structured programming during summer is associated with improved diet– suggesting such settings have potential to modify dietary intake.https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23446-0DietVacationChildrenPovertyLow-income |
| spellingShingle | Michael W. Beets Sarah Burkart Christopher D. Pfledderer Elizabeth Adams R. Glenn Weaver Bridget Armstrong Keith Brazendale Xuanxuan Zhu Alexander McLain Gabrielle Turner-McGrievy Russell Pate Andrew Kaczynski Amanda Fairchild Brian Saelens Hannah Parker Amy L. Yaroch Emily Eglitis Anthony J. Holmes Differences in children’s food and beverage consumption between school and summer: three-year findings from the what’s UP (Undermining Prevention) with summer observational cohort study BMC Public Health Diet Vacation Children Poverty Low-income |
| title | Differences in children’s food and beverage consumption between school and summer: three-year findings from the what’s UP (Undermining Prevention) with summer observational cohort study |
| title_full | Differences in children’s food and beverage consumption between school and summer: three-year findings from the what’s UP (Undermining Prevention) with summer observational cohort study |
| title_fullStr | Differences in children’s food and beverage consumption between school and summer: three-year findings from the what’s UP (Undermining Prevention) with summer observational cohort study |
| title_full_unstemmed | Differences in children’s food and beverage consumption between school and summer: three-year findings from the what’s UP (Undermining Prevention) with summer observational cohort study |
| title_short | Differences in children’s food and beverage consumption between school and summer: three-year findings from the what’s UP (Undermining Prevention) with summer observational cohort study |
| title_sort | differences in children s food and beverage consumption between school and summer three year findings from the what s up undermining prevention with summer observational cohort study |
| topic | Diet Vacation Children Poverty Low-income |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-025-23446-0 |
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