Abstract project thesis

 

Introduction and objectives

Adolescents are the primary consumers of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) worldwide, with well-documented negative impacts on health including dental problems, obesity, type 2 diabetes, and hypertension. The World Health Organization recommends reducing the intake of free sugars to less than 10% of daily energy intake to improve overall health, which means drinking less than 250ml per day of SSB without considering free sugars from food solids or semi-solids in the diet. Various factors such as media use, accessibility and availability of SSBs at home and school environments, and modeling of behavior affect SSB consumption. Efforts such as SSB taxes and warning labels have been effective in reducing SSB purchases and dietary intake. Despite the decreasing trend in SSB consumption worldwide, it is necessary to continue work in curbing daily consumption, particularly among male adolescents from the lowest socioeconomic strata. Furthermore, the lack of research on SSB consumption among adolescents in Catalonia and the potential association between SSB consumption and exposure to unhealthy food and beverages in their school environment emphasizes the importance of this research plan. It could provide valuable information on the factors influencing SSB consumption among adolescents.

The main objective is to analyze the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) in teenagers from Central Catalonia and related individual and contextual factors. The specific objectives are to estimate the consumption of SSB and associated factors among adolescents aged 12 to 18 in Central Catalonia during the 2021-2022 academic year, to examine consumption trends over three academic years, and to explore the relationship between the consumption of SSB and exposure to these beverages in school environments.

Methods

The methodology includes three cross-sectional studies that will be conducted using data from the Desk-Cohort project. The first study will aim to estimate the prevalence of second-wave SSB consumption and analyze the demographic and socioeconomic factors associated with it. The second study will examine trends in SSB consumption over three academic years using statistical analyses. The third study will investigate the prevalence and associated factors of third-wave SSB consumption and explore the relationship between availability and intake using contextual data on SSB availability and the school food environment.

Expected results

Our study in Central Catalonia is expected to confirm the high consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) among adolescents, surpassing recommended levels. Lower socioeconomic positions may correlate with a higher likelihood of SSB consumption, while female adolescents may show lower SSB intake compared to males. We anticipate a decrease in SSB consumption among high school students over time, with a significant decline projected in the 2023-2024 school year. Additionally, the study may reveal the possibility of socioeconomic inequalities in the prevalence of SSB consumption among high school students increasing over time. Furthermore, the findings may indicate a higher likelihood of high school students consuming SSB above current recommendations when exposed to greater availability of unhealthy foods and beverages in their school environment.

Keywords:

Sugar-sweetened beverages; adolescents; socioeconomic position; gender inequalities, food environment, secondary school.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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