Back to Annual Meeting Page		American Public Health Association 133rd Annual Meeting & Exposition December 10-14, 2005 Philadelphia, PA

Abstract #117679

Theresa Hastert¹, Susan Babey, PhD¹, Allison Diamant, MD, MSHS², and E. Richard Brown, PhD¹. (1) UCLA Center for Health Policy Research, 10911 Weyburn Ave, Suite 300, Los Angeles, CA 90024, 310-794-2827, thastert@ucla.edu, (2) Division of General Internal Medicine and Health Services Research, UCLA, 911 Broxton Avenue, Los Angeles, CA 90095

Reducing soda consumption has become a popular strategy in preventing youth obesity. In order to develop effective interventions, it is important to identify consumption patterns. According to data from the 2003 California Health Interview Survey (CHIS), a biennial random-digit dial (RDD) telephone survey of California households, California adolescents (ages 12-17) consumed an average of 1.4 servings of soda per day and consumption varied by a number of demographic and policy-relevant factors. Boys reported consuming 20% more soda than girls (1.6 vs. 1.3 servings, p<0.001), and African American and Latino teens consumed more soda (2.0 and 1.7 servings) than either Asian or White teens (1.1 and 1.2 servings, p<0.001). Soda consumption decreased steadily with increasing income. Teens from households with incomes greater than 300% FPL consumed significantly less soda (1.2 servings) than less affluent teens (1.5 servings, p<0.05). More than three out of four adolescents (76.2%) indicated that soda was available for purchase in vending machines in their schools. Those teens drank significantly more soda (1.5 servings) than respondents whose schools did not have soda in vending machines (1.2 servings, p<0.001). Eating fast food was also significantly associated with increased soda consumption. These findings suggest that soda consumption is related to the availability of soda for sale in school vending machines as well as to fast food consumption. Improving the nutritional value of foods for sale in school vending machines may be one strategy for reducing soda consumption among children and adolescents.

Learning Objectives:

• • Describe soda consumption patterns of California adolescents.
  • Discuss the relationship between soda consumption and policy relevant factors such as sale of sodas in school vending machines.
  • Identify demographic groups that consume the most soda among California adolescents.

Keywords: Adolescents, Food and Nutrition

Related Web page: www.chis.ucla.edu

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

I wish to disclose that I have NO financial interests or other relationship with the manufactures of commercial products, suppliers of commercial services or commercial supporters.

Recorded presentation