Journal of Nutrition Education and Behavior
Research ArticleSoft Drink Consumption Patterns Among Western Australians
Introduction
The association between the consumption of sugar-sweetened carbonated soft drinks (soda) and weight gain is well documented1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6 and such beverages are implicated as dietary contributors to burgeoning levels of overweight and obesity.7, 8 The World Health Organization9 advises against regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages such as soft drinks because of the risk to health. The Australian dietary guidelines invoke similar recommendations,10 and the most recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans11 identifies soda (soft drink) as a major source of added sugar in diets. The mechanisms linking sugar-sweetened beverage intake to weight gain include the low satiety produced by liquid calories and lack of compensatory reduction in energy intake from other sources, leading to an increase in total energy consumption.3
Australia ranks among the top 10 countries for per-capita consumption of soft drinks, based on market share data.12 Currently, information on soft drink consumption is dominated by sales data, with few studies measuring individual consumption behavior, particularly in adult populations. Although beverage sales data from Australia13 and the United States (US)14, 15 suggest some slowing in sales growth of soft drinks, such aggregated data do not provide insight into consumption patterns and variability within the population. In Australia, there is a paucity of population surveillance data relating to dietary behaviors generally, including a lack of data on soft drink consumption.13, 16 There is thus a need for collection of data on individual-level soft drink consumption, and patterns of consumption within and between population subgroups, to plan and implement targeted public health nutrition interventions and examine the effects of such activities.
Although there is a growing body of literature reporting soft drink intake and the outcomes of interventions to reduce soft drink consumption in children and young people, few studies have reported soft drink consumption patterns within an adult population. The purpose of this study was therefore to explore the sugar-sweetened and diet soft drink consumption habits of an Australian population aged 16–64 years.
Section snippets
Study Design
The study sample was composed of individuals who participated in 2 surveys to evaluate a mass media campaign aimed at preventing unhealthy weight gain among adults. Cross-sectional data were collected on 2 occasions (May, 2010 and February, 2011) using computer-assisted telephone interviewing. Respondents were selected randomly from the electronic Western Australian residential telephone listing. The Edith Cowan University Survey Research Centre undertook the surveys. A team of 20 interviewers
Sample Characteristics
The sample was evenly split by gender. Respondent ages ranged from 16 to 65 years, with two thirds of respondents aged ≥ 35 years. Around half of all respondents (50.8%) had a BMI classified as overweight or obese, and a similar proportion (50.4%) perceived their weight to be slightly or very overweight (Table 1).
Patterns of Consumption and Demographic Characteristics
Three quarters of respondents consumed at least 1 cup of soft drink in the week before the survey. Over half consumed sugar-sweetened soft drinks and more than one third consumed diet
Discussion
This study investigated the consumption of soft drinks among Western Australians aged 16–65 years. Soft drink consumption is often implicated in the increasing prevalence of obesity and other health problems, yet there is a dearth of published Australian data on individuals' consumption levels and patterns, particularly for adults. The work of Levy and Tapsell13 is an exception; however, this was based primarily on beverage sales data. This study measured individuals' consumption of soft drinks
Implications for Research and Practice
This study identified a high prevalence of soft drink consumption within the Australian population. The demographic profile of soft drink consumption presented in this report can inform the scoping and design of public health nutrition interventions, both those aiming to specifically reduce soft drink consumption, as well as interventions or campaigns targeting obesity or healthier nutrition. Observed demographic differences in consumption patterns may also provide insight for targeting
Acknowledgments
The Draw the Line campaign was a collaborative initiative of the Heart Foundation, Cancer Council WA, and Diabetes WA, funded by the Department of Health, WA. The authors acknowledge the contribution of Draw the Line Management Committee and Heart Foundation WA Healthy Weight Managers Sarina Radici and Ninka James.
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