ABSTRACT
Objective@#To evaluate the development trajectory of sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake in childhood, and to explore the influence of different SSB intake patterns on childhood obesity.@*Methods@#In 2016, a follow-up cohort study was carried out in two primary schools in Bengbu, Anhui Province. Three annual follow-ups were conducted in 1 263 children at baseline, and 997 children were included in the final analysis. Parental and student questionnaires were used to obtain basic information related to the children s consumption of SSBs. A group-based trajectory model (GBTM) was applied to classify the development trajectory of SSB intake patterns in childhood. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed to assess the correlation between different SSB intake patterns and childhood obesity.@*Results@#GBTM identified four childhood SSB intake patterns, namely, the "persistently-low group (n=822), “decreasing-after-increasing” group (n=20), “gradually-decreasing” group (n=106), and “increasing” group (n=49). In the decreasing-after-increasing group and the gradually-decreasing group, baseline BMI levels and BMI levels obtained at the three follow-ups were significantly higher than those observed in the persistently-low group (F=6.26, 5.90, 5.99, 5.87, P<0.01). There were sex differences in the association between SSB intake patterns and the children s BMI levels. Among girls, after adjusting for confounding factors, the gradually decreasing group increased by 1.20 kg/m 2(B=1.20，95%CI=0.25-2.15, P=0.01) when compared with the persistently low group at the third follow-up. Among boys, no statistically significant association was found between SSB intake patterns and BMI levels (P>0.05).@*Conclusion@#Sex differences were observed with respect to the association between SSB intake patterns and obesity in children. Girls with a higher SSB intake had a significantly increased risk of obesity. Further studies are needed to explore the physiological mechanisms underlying sex differences, to provide the theoretical basis for developing intervention programs to prevent childhood obesity.