Sugar-Loaded Drinks Take a Toll on L.A.

Highland Park’s Council District 14 ranks roughly in the middle of a Los Angeles County adult “obesity index” and ninth among the 15 council districts in L.A. City.

Those were some of the findings presented Thursday by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health at the launch of its first-ever “Sugar-Loaded Drinks Awareness” campaign designed to address a major contributor to the nation’s obesity epidemic.

The event, part of the health department’s “RENEW LA County” initiative, was held at the Camino Nuevo Early Childhood Education Center near downtown L.A. and was led by Jonathan Fielding, director and health officer of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health. (“RENEW” stands for “Renew Environments for Nutrition, Exercise and Wellness.”)

CD 14 66th Most Obese Community in L.A. County

CD 14 ranks 66 among 126 cities and communities in L.A. County in adult obesity, and 76 among 119 cities and communities across the county in terms of child obesity. CD 14 is the ninth most obese of the City's 15 council districts—the most obese districts being CD 5 and CD 11.

As the attached pdf shows, 29 out of every 1,000 people in CD 14 died because of diabetes from 2004 to 2008, ranking the district 54 out of 126 L.A. County cities and communities in this category.

Further, 34 out of every 1,000 people in CD 14 died during the same period because of heart stroke, placing the district 21out of 126 L.A. County cities and communities in that category.

Sugar-Loaded Drinks Consumption Doubled in 30 Years

The awareness campaign was aimed at informing the public about the amount of sugar in typical soft drinks—including sports drinks and energy drinks—and the consequences of their excessive consumption on obesity in L.A. County, especially among children. 

Wielding 22 packs of sugar, Fielding asked his audience: "You wouldn't eat them—why would you drink them?"

The consumption of sugar-loaded drinks in L.A. County has doubled over the past 30 years, causing obesity, diabetes, heart disease and some forms of cancer in the County population, according to information provided by the health department. The obesity epidemic costs L.A. County as much as $6 billion annually.

Nearly Six of Ten Adults Obese in L.A. County

More than 58 percent of adults in the county are overweight or obese, and nearly 23 percent of county children in the fifth, seventh and ninth grades are obese. Among younger children, obesity rates have shot up from 16.7 percent in 2003 to 21.8 percent in 2008.

“If we’re serious about doing something about the disturbing obesity trend, we have to start with the biggest culprits,” Fielding said, referring to sugar-packed drinks. “There is a tremendous lack of awareness about the amount of sugar in these drinks [and] our goal is to empower all county residents—especially parents and caregivers—so they can make informed decisions about their drink choices for themselves and their families.”

More than 43 percent of children aged 17 years or younger consume at least one sugar-loaded drink on an average day in the county, the department's statistics show, rendering as much as a 60-percent increase in a child’s risk for obesity with every additional daily serving of soda.

Some Ethnicities/Areas More Vulnerable Than Others

Certain demographic groups and regions in L.A. County are more vulnerable than others to consuming sugar-loaded drinks. Among those residents who consume sugary drinks at a higher rate than the rest of the county are:

• Young adults aged 18-24 years: 70.8 percent drink at least one soda or sweetened drink per day.
• Latinos: 51.2 percent drink at least one soda or sweetened drink per day.
• African Americans: 48 percent drink at least one soda or sweetened drink per day.
• Residents of East Los Angeles: 54 percent drink at least one soda or sweetened drink per day
• South Los Angeles residents: 56.2 percent drink at least one soda or sweetened drink per day.
• Low-income residents: 52.2 percent drink at least one soda or sweetened drink per day.