Reduced Sugar Intake in Teens Achieved through 'Sodabriety' Approach
In a recent study conducted by Ohio State University, the Sodabriety challenge was introduced to two rural high schools with promising results. The study, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), aimed to reduce the consumption of sugary drinks among high school students.
Before the study, 63% of students were drinking sugary beverages at least three days a week, with more than one-third reporting daily consumption. This is a concerning trend, particularly in the Appalachian region where children have higher rates of consumption compared to their peers nationwide.
To tackle this issue, students were empowered to take action. They created teen advisory councils and developed marketing campaigns, presentations, and announcements to promote the challenge. Social media was also utilised to spread awareness and encourage participation.
The Sodabriety challenge encouraged participants to reduce, not eliminate, their consumption of sugary drinks for 30 days. A total of 186 students took part in the challenge.
The results were encouraging. During the intervention and over the month after it ended, students lowered their overall consumption of sugary drinks by nearly 30%. Their servings of sugary drinks dropped from an average of 2.3 to 1.3 per day during the challenge.
One month after the challenge ended, nearly 60% of the students said they had cut consumption of sugary drinks to fewer than three days a week. Many participants also reported benefits such as losing weight, having more energy, and better skin.
Dr. Smith, the lead researcher, believes that this drop in the use of sugary drinks could help curb type 2 diabetes in rural communities. Teens, according to Dr. Smith, can be effective at changing their friends' behavior, and he hopes that siblings may have a positive influence on each other.
Dr. Smith plans to expand the Sodabriety challenge to include students' family members and hopes to replicate the programme on a larger scale and with other populations. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that 80% of young adults (12-19 years old) drink sugar-sweetened beverages every day, making this an issue of national concern.
The Sodabriety challenge is a promising step towards reducing the consumption of sugary drinks among young people, with potential benefits for their health and wellbeing.
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