E. Petridou et al., THE ROLE OF DAIRY-PRODUCTS AND NON ALCOHOLIC BEVERAGES IN BONE-FRACTURES AMONG SCHOOL-AGE-CHILDREN, Scandinavian journal of social medicine, 25(2), 1997, pp. 119-125
In order to assess consumption of the calcium rich dairy products, int
ake of non alcoholic beverages and physical activity as risk factors f
or bone fractures among schoolage children, a case control study was u
ndertaken in Athens, Greece. During 1995 one hundred children 7 to 14
years old (74 boys and 26 girls) with single uncomplicated fractures o
f the upper and lower extremities and no evidence of coexisting metabo
lic condition affecting bone fragility were compared with 100 age-and
gender-matched controls. The analysis was undertaken by modeling the d
ata through conditional logistic regression. Several indicators point
to an increased risk of fractures among physically active children, al
though none of the individual variables was statistically significant.
Somatometric factors were not related to fractures, although children
with more advanced stage of development at Tanner's scale were appare
ntly al increased risk. Intake of dairy products and of carbonated non
cola beverages was not related to the occurrence of fractures. By con
trast, intake of non carbonated beverages, mainly fruit juices, and of
cola beverages were significantly associated with elevated risks of f
ractures [for an increase of one-half can per day, the odds ratios and
associated 95% confidence intervals were 1.6 (1.2 to 2.3) and 1.7 (1.
2 to 2.6) respectively]. In the absence of other common elements betwe
en cola and non carbonated beverages the positive associations of thes
e beverages, with bone fractures probably reflect the increased rehydr
ation needs of active children who are also at high risk for injuries.