A new study of Australian children has revealed that half of babies from poor families are being given sugary drinks before their first birthday, compared to one-in-four children from wealthier families.

This morning lead researcher from Deakin University, Alexandra Chung, told Ross and John that differing sugary drink consumption patterns between rich and poor children continue throughout childhood.

“We saw quite a stark split in the consumption of sweet drinks from a very early age, and that pattern seems to stick as we look to sweet drink and unhealthy food consumption across childhood”, she said.

The study also found that children from poorer families were more likely to consume unhealthy savoury foods than children from wealthier backgrounds, but this wasn’t true for unhealthy sweet foods.

“Cakes and sweet snacks were being consumed by all children across the board, regardless of socioeconomic position”, Ms Chung said.

Press PLAY below to listen to Ross and John’s full interview with Alexandra Chung.