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Trends in Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake Among Young Children, United States, 2021–2023

RESEARCH BRIEF — Volume 22 — August 25, 2025

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Figure 1. National prevalence of sugar-sweetened beverage intake, by frequency and survey year, among all children aged 1 to 5 years and by age group, National Survey of Children’s Health 2021–2023.

Age group, y None 1–3 Times per week ≥4 Times per week
2021 2022 2023 2021 2022 2023 2021 2022 2023
All 42.7 42.0 44.1 36.0 36.3 35.9 21.4 21.7 20.0
1–2 58.4 57.6 62.1 27.9 29.3 25.1 13.7 13.1 12.8
3–5 32.7 32.1 32.8 41.1 40.8 42.7 26.2 27.1 24.5

 

Figure 2. Trends in sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake among children aged 1 to 5 years, by frequency and state, National Survey of Children’s Health 2021–2023. A significant decreasing linear trend in SSB intake 1–3 times per week was found in New Jersey and Tennessee. A significant linear trend for SSB intake ≥4 times per week was found in Kansas, Pennsylvania, and Virginia (increasing) and in the District of Columbia, Florida, Indiana, and Tennessee (decreasing).

State 2021 2022 2023
None 1–3 Times per week ≥4 Times per week None 1–3 Times per week ≥4 Times per week None 1–3 Times per week ≥4 Times per week
Alabama 33.3 31.5 35.2 29.3 34.0 36.6 36.5 34.6 28.8
Alaska 48.9 38.0 13.1 46.1 30.1 23.8 50.3 40.5 9.3
Arizona 39.9 35.0 25.1 34.2 41.0 24.8 44.4 39.3 16.2
Arkansas 32.9 38.0 29.1 28.7 45.7 25.7 26.4 42.4 31.3
California 44.0 36.6 19.4 51.8 33.8 14.4 48.4 38.2 13.4
Colorado 45.0 40.8 14.2 46.7 41.3 12.0 42.0 44.4 13.6
Connecticut 55.8 32.5 11.7 62.3 23.6 14.1 50.9 29.8 19.3
Delaware 45.5 34.2 20.3 41.9 32.5 25.6 47.3 31.8 20.9
District of Columbia 48.8 25.4 25.8 59.8 29.7 10.6 57.8 28.7 13.5
Florida 43.0 25.2 31.8 49.0 31.7 19.3 50.3 31.8 17.9
Georgia 38.8 38.7 22.5 31.8 44.8 23.4 37.0 39.5 23.5
Hawaii 46.1 39.5 14.3 61.5 25.3 13.2 36.7 46.2 17.1
Idaho 31.3 43.7 24.9 33.0 41.8 25.1 33.5 47.3 19.1
Illinois 48.3 31.6 20.1 43.2 31.1 25.7 42.4 38.4 19.2
Indiana 32.6 43.7 23.7 36.8 39.8 23.4 43.0 39.5 17.5
Iowa 44.1 39.0 17.0 35.0 51.3 13.6 42.4 37.2 20.4
Kansas 45.6 39.9 14.6 48.5 34.1 17.4 37.2 42.3 20.6
Kentucky 41.7 33.5 24.9 31.8 40.8 27.4 40.3 35.5 24.3
Louisiana 29.8 41.5 28.8 36.9 33.8 29.3 26.3 38.0 35.7
Maine 62.3 27.8 9.9 57.5 31.4 11.0 64.5 24.9 10.6
Maryland 41.3 36.9 21.8 48.5 31.0 20.5 44.2 32.2 23.5
Massachusetts 53.8 31.3 14.9 52.5 36.0 11.5 51.9 32.4 15.8
Michigan 47.2 35.2 17.6 44.9 30.9 24.1 50.9 33.3 15.8
Minnesota 44.4 38.7 16.8 51.7 36.2 12.2 49.7 37.0 13.3
Mississippi 21.8 48.0 30.3 25.1 40.4 34.4 26.4 37.2 36.4
Missouri 40.4 39.9 19.7 40.0 39.3 20.7 43.4 31.8 24.8
Montana 38.8 47.8 13.4 41.1 34.7 24.2 40.1 40.7 19.2
Nebraska 41.4 44.4 14.2 36.8 44.0 19.2 37.0 41.5 21.5
Nevada 45.7 37.9 16.3 33.2 45.2 21.6 40.3 41.5 18.2
New Jersey 46.2 38.1 15.6 52.3 29.9 17.8 58.4 26.5 15.2
New Mexico 33.5 39.1 27.4 26.7 39.8 33.5 35.7 43.4 20.8
New York 51.8 31.0 17.2 48.3 32.9 18.8 48.3 35.6 16.0
New Hampshire 58.3 30.4 11.4 63.8 28.6 7.6 65.8 23.2 11.0
North Carolina 46.7 32.9 20.4 35.3 32.8 31.9 43.8 34.0 22.3
North Dakota 37.7 47.2 15.1 41.3 48.3 10.4 39.0 46.2 14.9
Ohio 48.4 32.4 19.2 44.7 34.3 21.0 49.0 31.3 19.8
Oklahoma 26.6 47.6 25.7 31.2 42.5 26.3 29.0 46.0 25.0
Oregon 50.9 36.9 12.2 50.7 37.0 12.3 45.9 38.8 15.3
Pennsylvania 54.9 32.4 12.8 44.3 39.0 16.7 44.4 35.0 20.6
Rhode Island 48.7 35.7 15.6 58.2 30.6 11.2 57.4 26.6 16.0
South Carolina 37.0 34.2 28.8 40.6 35.7 23.7 39.8 32.8 27.4
South Dakota 41.2 45.4 13.5 44.6 43.4 12.1 37.4 47.8 14.8
Tennessee 27.8 41.7 30.5 32.7 40.0 27.3 43.4 34.2 22.4
Texas 30.7 38.2 31.1 26.4 40.6 33.0 35.3 34.4 30.3
Utah 32.2 46.4 21.4 32.9 44.0 23.1 35.3 44.2 20.5
Vermont 59.3 31.7 9.0 56.9 34.1 9.1 59.3 33.0 7.7
Virginia 54.4 32.2 13.4 43.2 38.2 18.6 45.1 32.7 22.2
Washington 54.0 32.8 13.3 48.1 33.7 18.2 53.1 34.6 12.3
West Virginia 35.3 42.5 22.2 25.4 36.0 38.6 37.3 43.0 19.7
Wisconsin 48.6 38.9 12.5 45.5 38.9 15.6 46.1 40.0 13.9
Wyoming 34.6 52.2 13.2 34.7 44.7 20.6 33.0 50.5 16.5

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