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LA Kids Drinking Fewer Sugary Drinks

LOS ANGELES (CBSLA.com) — Los Angeles County children are drinking fewer sugary drinks, a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report revealed.

Dr. Jonathan Fielding, the director of the L.A. County Department of Public Health, said the percentage of kids who drank one or more sweetened drinks daily dropped from 43 percent in 2007 to 38 percent in 2011.

LA Kids Drinking Fewer Sugary Drinks

"It's still too high, but that's in the right direction," said Fielding. "We asked residents, 'You wouldn't eat 22 packets of sugar, why are you drinking them?'"

The study also found that Latino and black children were more likely to have sugary drinks compared to their white and Asian peers.

A Van Nuys mom told KNX 1070's Megan Goldsby that she'll give her 2-month-old son soda at home once he's in school.

"Maybe not the first years, but eventually, I think it's inevitable," she said.

Fielding said it's important for the entire family to be on board with healthy choices.

"If you're modeling the right behavior as parents and older siblings, that water is your drink of choice, that will have a great impact on young children," he said.

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