State Sugary Drink Data

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April 2022

Greetings,   Added sugars in the US diet contribute to significant health problems, including obesity, high blood pressure, diabetes, and dental decay. As several of our partners have shown, we can modify the food environment in many ways to make it easier for people to choose foods and drinks with less sugar.   Federal dietary guidelines recommend that people ages 2 or older limit daily calories from added sugars to 10% of their total calories. For example, if an adult has 2,000 calories a day, no more than 200 calories should come from added sugars. But, on average in the United States, more than 13% of daily calories come from added sugars.   Sugary drinks account for 35% of the US average consumption of added sugars. Sugary drinks include sodas, sports drinks, and fruit drinks, as well as sweet tea and coffee with added sugar. Nationally, 63% of adults aged 18 or older reported having sugary drinks once daily or more.

 

What Can Be Done?   Create a Healthier Food Environment Places where food and drinks are served can limit the availability of items with added sugars by adopting food service guidelines. These guidelines are typically used in worksite and community settings, such as hospitals and parks and recreation facilities. See a toolkit for implementing food service guidelines in a variety of places.

State data for sugary drink consumption

Federal guidelines recommend that children younger than 2 not consume any added sugars. Parents and caregivers can limit or avoid certain foods for infants and toddlers.   States can establish standards for early care and education (ECE) settings to address what children eat and drink. See your state ECE licensing scorecard for areas that need improvement.   Learn From Others See examples of how state and local programs improve the food environment: South Dakota promoted the adoption of food service guidelines in 68 worksites. 5 businesses that serve Latinos in Langley Park, Maryland, installed new water stations and promoted the benefits of choosing water over sugary drinks. 19 supermarkets in Boston, Massachusetts, conducted a Rethink Your Drink campaign. The Alabama Department of Public Health partnered with community organizations to educate employers about the benefits of healthy vending options. Thirteen worksites offered healthier food and drink options, benefiting almost 30,000 employees and visitors.

 

Healthy eating emphasizes fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products, whole grains, and lean sources of protein. Thank you for all you do to help people enjoy these nutritious foods—with fewer added sugars—at every stage of life and in every cultural tradition.   Dr. Ruth Petersen, Director, DNPAO
More Information

 

English Added Sugars on the New Nutrition Facts Label Rethink Your Drink* Know Your Limit for Added Sugars Get the Facts: Added Sugar Food and Drinks to Limit or Avoid for Infants and Toddlers* Water and Healthier Drinks*	Español Azúcares añadidas: Ahora incluidos en la etiqueta de información nutricional Mejora tu bebida Conoce tu límite de azúcares añadidos La verdad sobre el azúcar añadida Alimentos y bebidas que se deben limitar
* To access the code to embed these pages into your website or blog, enter the URL into the CDC Public Health Media Library.

 

Feature Of The Month

Physical Inactivity Added to COVID-19 Risk Factors

 

In February, CDC added physical inactivity to the list of medical conditions that make adults more likely to get very sick from COVID-19. This conclusion is from a systematic review of 25 studies.   Compared to people who were physically active, the review showed an increased risk of hospitalization and death and possible increased risk of ventilation due to COVID among people who were physically inactive.   See state maps of adult physical inactivity outside work by race/ethnicity and location.

Photo from the State and Community Health Media Center.

Having overweight or obesity is also a risk factor for severe illness from COVID-19. Overweight is defined as body mass index (BMI) of 25 to 25.9. Obesity is defined as BMI of 30 or higher.

 

News You Can Use

What's New   A new recommendation from The Guide to Community Preventive Services (The Community Guide) endorses parks, trails, and greenways as infrastructure interventions that increase physical activity. The recommendation has one caution—these improvements need to be combined with community engagement to increase awareness, expand programs, and enhance access.   Comments Sought for Next Dietary Guidelines for Americans

 

The development process for the Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2025-2030 is kicking off. The US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) released the proposed scientific questions that will inform the next edition of the Dietary Guidelines. HHS and USDA are accepting written comments from the public on the proposed questions until May 16, 2022. View the announcement. Learn more about the process. See how to submit a comment on DietaryGuidelines.gov.   In Case You Missed It   Hospital birth practices that support breastfeeding can help mothers achieve their breastfeeding goals, but this relationship had not previously been studied among women enrolled in nutrition assistance programs. A study published in March found that women with lower incomes who receive more hospital support of breastfeeding are more likely to meet their prenatal breastfeeding intentions.   Listen to an interview with the senior author of this study. This interview starts at minute 12:10.   Win From the Field: Ideas From CDC-Funded Grantees

Expanding Children’s Exposure to Local Produce

 

Farm to Early Care and Education (ECE) programs increase young children’s exposure and access to local produce. These programs use taste tests, cooking lessons, and gardening experiences to promote lifelong food preferences and healthy eating patterns.   Three recipients of CDC’s Racial and Ethnic Approaches to Community Health (REACH) program received funding and technical assistance to build capacity for a Farm to ECE program in 2020–2021. The recipients were Eastern Michigan University, National Kidney Foundation of Michigan, and Partnership for a Healthier Lincoln (Nebraska). They partnered with 23 child care providers serving 321 children to build Farm to ECE capacity by:

Guiding providers to buy and serve local foods. Growing edible gardens (indoors or outdoors). Embedding nutrition and agricultural education into ECE programming. The recipients worked with priority populations, including African American and Latino children and refugees and immigrants from Burma.   All three recipients received a second year of funding and technical assistance for 2021–2022. A fourth REACH recipient, RAO Community Health in North Carolina, was also funded for Farm to ECE work in 2021–2022.   The Farm to ECE program is administered through a cooperative agreement between CDC and the Association of State Public Health Nutritionists, in collaboration with the National Farm to School Network.

 

See What Others Are Doing

Upcoming Observances

 

May Asian Pacific American Heritage Month National Physical Fitness and Sports Month Global Employee Health and Fitness Month National Bike Month Older Americans Month National Physical Education & Sport Week—May 1–7 Screen Free Week—May 2-8 Bike to School Day—May 4 Mother’s Day—May 8 National Women’s Health Week—May 8-14 National Bike to Work Week—May 16–22 National Bike to Work Day—May 20 Kids to Parks Day—May 21 Memorial Day—May 30 World No Tobacco Day—May 31 June National Men’s Health Month Great Outdoors Month Pride Month Global Running Day—June 2 Family Health & Fitness Day USA—June 11 Men’s Health Week—June 13–19 Juneteenth—June 19 Father’s Day—June 19

Suggested Social Media Posts

 

You can stay physically active at every stage of life. Learn how much physical activity you need to stay healthy, feel better, and reduce the risk of chronic disease. https://bit.ly/3pnSuRW #ActivePeople Transitioning your child from breastfeeding to complementary food? Learn when and how to introduce additional nutritious food and drinks. https://bit.ly/2HNV14h Providing plenty of fruits and vegetables and limiting sugary drinks are just a few ways parents can help their kids develop #healthyeating patterns. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3oEsaQT

In Spanish: Proporcionar muchas frutas y verduras y limitar las bebidas azucaradas son solo algunas de las formas en que los padres pueden ayudar a sus hijos a desarrollar patrones de alimentación saludables. Aprende más: https://bit.ly/3uO1pQg

 

Find photos to accompany these posts in the State and Community Health Media Center.

Behind The Scenes

 

Bernadette Ford Lattimore Deputy, Program Development and Evaluation Branch (PDEB)

I provide the day-to-day management and operational leadership for PDEB and serve as principal advisor on all management and operations activities. Outside the branch, I lead or participate in health equity and diversity, equity, inclusion, and accessibility (DEIA) efforts across CDC’s National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion.   What is your greatest professional satisfaction? If I were to name only one, I would say that my greatest professional satisfaction comes when I help create a work environment where staff feel engaged, balanced, and respected. If our staff members are satisfied with their work environment, that satisfaction is transferred to the work done with our recipients and partners. My current efforts with DEIA contribute to enhancing our work environment for everyone. Having a work culture where staff feel valued results in an atmosphere of creativity, innovation, and impact.

 

How do partners help you do your work?   Partners help keep us informed about what is current in the field. We have partners that provide direct technical assistance, participate on webinars and networking calls, and share their expertise in our trainings. These efforts support the work of recipients and to help guide next steps.   What would you like partners to know?   The work of our partners is more important than ever. In these challenging times of a global pandemic, our national, state, and local partners have had to make adjustments in how to implement their strategies. Partnerships have been critical in helping continue the work while providing engagement that enhances innovation and creativity.    Favorite quote:   “Never be limited by other people’s limited imaginations.” — Dr. Mae Jemison

 

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Note: Website addresses of nonfederal organizations are provided solely as a service to readers. Provision of an address does not constitute an endorsement of this organization by CDC or the federal government, and none should be inferred. CDC is not responsible for the content of other organizations’ web pages.   Centers for Disease Control and Prevention 1600 Clifton Rd   Atlanta, GA 30329   1-800-CDC-INFO (800-232-4636)   TTY: 888-232-6348