(P13-030-24) Daily Intake of Carbohydrates and Added Sugars in Youngsters in Costa Rica

Objectives: Quantify the daily intake of carbohydrates and added sugars among Costa Rican children and adolescents to identify the main foods and beverages in the usual diet that contribute to this consumption.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was performed in a population of 2 685 students from 24 schools and 40 high schools of Costa Rica. Age of the youngsters (7 to 17 years) was the only inclusion criteria to participate in the study. A validated questionnaire was applied to the students to assess their eating habits and the body mass index (BMI) (kg/m²) was calculated to estimate the prevalence of overweight and obesity.  The research was approved by the Scientific Ethical Committees of the UCR and INCIENSA.   To estimate the carbohydrate and added sugar content of foods, a list of 120 foods classified into 23 groups was compiled and three different methods were used to provide the best approximation of consumption. Descriptive statistics and stepwise regression models were run to assess the contribution of each food to total carbohydrate intake. A value of p ≤ 0.05 was considered significant.

Results: The prevalence of overweight and obesity was 26.2% and 16.3% respectively among students. The probability of overweight and obesity was significantly higher with higher intake/day of total carbohydrates and added sugars. Food groups such as “bakery products”, “cookies and cakes”, “juices and nectars” and mainly “flavored milks” were the main sources of total carbohydrates (63.6%) and added sugars (among 70.2-78.9%). Near 86% of participating children and adolescents consumed more than 10% of their total energy intake from added sugars exceeding what is recommended by World Health Organization.

Conclusions: In Costa Rica, it is urgent to modify the eating habits of the population, especially children and adolescents, through educational processes and social marketing campaigns. Otherwise, the future consequences of this high carbohydrate consumption will be reflected in the high prevalence of overweight, obesity and their comorbidities.

Funding Sources: Office of Vice-President for Research of the University of Costa Rica (Project 430-B1-343), the Distance State University (Project PROYO 102-2010) and Institute for Research and Education on Nutrition and Health (IC-2010-05)