Factors affecting the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages among middle school students in eight counties of four provinces (municipality) in China

Objective To explore the factors related to the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) among middle school students in four provinces (municipality) in China. Methods A total of 3 469 middle school students were recruited from the Children health cohort in eight counties within the four provinces (municipality). We collected information regarding demography, lifestyle, and family and school situation as well as the consumption frequency of SSB in the previous week. High SSB consumption was defined as " positive" if the frequency was once a day or more. Mean consumption time was calculated, and then logistic regressions were performed to explore the factors influencing SSB consumption. Results Prevalence of high SSB consumption was 11.18% among the subjects of the eight counties, and the consumption frequency of SSB was 0.21 times per day. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that the following factors were associated with high consumption of SSB: higher grade, rural region, male gender, physical exercise, habit of eating snacks, eating out, and fast-food consumption (P<0.01). Factors influencing high SSB consumption were not completely equal between genders: physical exercise at school was associated with high SSB consumption only in female students (P<0.01), while higher grade and eating out in the past week were associated with high SSB consumption only in male students (P<0.05). Conclusion Factors associated with high SSB consumption among middle school students included grade, region, physical exercise at school, snack consumption, eating out, and fast-food consumption. These factors differed between genders. Intervention programs addressing these factors may be beneficial in reducing SSB consumption in middle school students. Key words: Risk factors; Students; Sugar-sweetened beverages