Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/538813
S AN ANTONIO IS making strides in improving our adult and juvenile obesity rates, and a broad-based alliance of community organizations called the Bexar Healthy Beverage Coalition sees focusing on reducing the consumption of sugary beverages as the next step to a healthier lifestyle. Obesity and diabetes are priority areas of greatest concern for our community as identified by the 2013 Bexar County Community Health Assessment, a comprehensive report of local health compiled by The Health Collaborative. Through a countywide Community Health Improvement Plan process, reducing the consumption of sugary beverages was identified as a key strategy in addressing the prevalence of obesity and diabetes. Sugar-sweetened beverages are found in many forms, includ- ing sports drinks, sweetened milk, coffee, tea, energy drinks and even fruit drinks. According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, per capita consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has increased by 500 percent in the past 50 years. It is now the single largest source of calories in children, surpassing milk in the late 1990s. The Harvard School of Public Health says that on any given day, half of the people in the United States consume sugary drinks. According to San Antonio Metro Health, 64 percent of the people in San Antonio drink soda every day. Most people don't know how much sugar they or their children consume each day. A single sugary drink can contain the ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ + +++ + +++ ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ COMMUNITY UPDATE ❯ CDC FACTS ON SUGARY DRINKS ACCORDING TO THE National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2005–2008: + Males consume more sugar drinks than females. + Teenagers and young adults consume more sugar drinks than those in other age groups. + Approximately half of the U.S. population consumes sugar drinks on any given day. + Non-Hispanic black children and adolescents consume more sugar drinks in relation to their overall diet than their Mexican-American counterparts. Non-Hispanic black and Mexican-American adults consume more than non-Hispanic white adults. + Low-income persons consume more sugar drinks in relation to their overall diet than those with higher incomes. + Most of the sugar drinks consumed away from home are obtained from stores, not restau- rants or schools. Is Your Drink Sugar-Packed? By Elizabeth Lutz 1 2 | San Antonio MD NEWS ■ M D N E W S . CO M