Determinants of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption Among Youth

Youth consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) is shaped by a complex interplay of individual, interpersonal and environmental factors. At the individual level, taste preferences, knowledge of health risks and habitual patterns drive beverage choice. Socio-demographic characteristics such as age, gender and socioeconomic status frequently predict differences in consumption, with lower parental education and household income often associated with higher intake. Within the family, parental modelling, home availability and parenting practices exert a strong influence, as children tend to mirror caregivers’ drinking behaviours and respond to rules or restrictions. Beyond the home, neighbourhood and school food environments—including the density of corner shops, marketing exposures and ease of access—further modulate intake. Cultural norms and ethnic background can alter the relative importance of each determinant, resulting in varied consumption patterns across populations. Public health measures such as taxation, school-based restrictions and media campaigns seek to counter these drivers, but their effectiveness hinges on addressing multiple levels of influence simultaneously. Understanding these determinants is vital for designing targeted interventions to reduce SSB intake and mitigate its impact on obesity and metabolic health among young people worldwide.

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Determinants of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Consumption Among Youth publication trend

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Technical terms

Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB): Any drink to which sugar has been added, including soft drinks, sweetened juices and sports drinks.

Socioeconomic status: Composite measure of an individual’s or family’s economic and educational position.

Parental modelling: The process by which children learn behaviours by observing and imitating their parents or caregivers.

Ecological model: Framework recognising that behaviour is influenced by factors at multiple levels—individual, interpersonal, organisational and community.

Mediator: A variable that explains the mechanism through which an exposure influences an outcome.

Perceived accessibility: Individual’s subjective assessment of how readily a product (here, SSBs) can be obtained in their environment.

References

1. Associations between Knowledge of Health Risks and Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Intake among US Adolescents. Nutrients (2023).
2. Mediators of parental educational differences in the intake of carbonated sugar-sweetened soft drinks among adolescents, and the moderating role of neighbourhood income. Nutrition Journal (2023).
3. Children’s sugar-sweetened beverages consumption: associations with family and home-related factors, differences within ethnic groups explored. BMC Public Health (2017).