Objective To describe the habits of drinking canned tea and steeped tea among residents in Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou.
Methods A total of 5 153 residents aged 20-59 years from communities of the three areas were selected by stratified cluster sampling. The information on demographic characteristics, routine diet and daily habits, tea drinking habits and frequencies, and approaches to tea information were collected by a structured questionnaire.
Results Compared with other canned drinks, the participants preferred canned tea, especailly canned green tea. The drinking rates of canned green tea were found higher in Beijing residents aged 20-29 years (37.16%), 30-39 years (24.91%) and Guangzhou residents aged 40-49 years (17.65%). The drinking rates of steeped green tea were higher than other steeped tea drinks among all the participants, and were higher in the 30-39 and 40-49 year-old Beijing residents (38.10% and 58.39%) and the 50-59 year-old Shanghai residents (47.20%).
Conclusion The habit of tea drinking varies in residents of different areas and age groups.