Introduction:
Excess consumption of sugary drinks has been identified as a significant contributor to excess energy intake, weight gain and obesity. Parental consumption of sugary drinks are of interest due to the potential parental influence on children’s consumption through modelling dietary behaviour and provision of sugary drinks to their children.
Methods:
Data collection was recently completed for a national cross-sectional survey of ~3,400 Australian respondents (18 years and older), conducted utilising Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews to examine prevalence and patterns of sugary drink consumption. Data from ~1,000 parents with at least one child aged 0-18 years, will be analysed in a sub-study to determine predictors (e.g., gender, age, and socio-economic status) of sugary drink consumption among parents.
Results:
Preliminary unadjusted results indicate that the overall rate of sugary drink consumption was similar in parents and non-parents. However, parents were more likely than non-parents to consume some specific beverages (soft drink and fruit juice), and have these available in the home. Overall, there were similar significant unadjusted associations observed between gender, age, SES and level of education with level of consumption of sugary drinks (no consumption vs 1-6 drinks per week vs 7+ drinks per week). However, younger parents (18-34 years), parents residing in a low SES area and parents with a lower level of education were observed to have greater levels of consumption of sugary drinks than non-parent comparative demographic groups. Parents with at least one child aged 0-4 years had greater levels of consumption of sugary drinks than those with older children.
Conclusion:
Understanding sugary drinks patterns in parents help to contextualise the environments in which sugary drinks are consumed. This study will assist our appreciation of the factors related to parental consumption, and will inform the development of future studies and interventions aimed at reducing consumption