Soda Consumption - Youth in California

California

Reducing sugary drink consumption is a public health concern worldwide. Soda has little to no nutritional value and is associated with many adverse health outcomes. An 8-ounce serving of carbonated soda contains about 24-30 grams of added sugar, more than half of an entire day’s recommended sugar intake. 

Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has been linked to increased risk of multiple diseases, including obesity, tooth decay, stroke, cardiovascular disease, cancer and Type 2 diabetes. 

Recent research has found that frequent soda consumption is associated with aggressive behavior among early adolescents. Similar findings from a 2013 study of 5-year-olds also linked soda consumption to aggression, as well as withdrawn behaviors and attention issues.

Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption is higher among:

• Teenage boys compared with teenage girls. 
• American Indian/Alaska Native, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, white, Black, Hispanic and multiracial children compared with Asian children.

Reducing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among youth requires a multipronged approach involving families, schools and communities. Examples of strategies include:

• Implementing the Smart Snacks in School program, which sets a national nutrition requirement for all snacks sold in schools and includes limits on sugar.
• Introducing legislative limits on portion sizes for sugar-sweetened beverages. 
• Regulating marketing and advertisements for soda and sugar-sweetened beverages in school zones. According to one study, students in school districts with restrictions on soda products and advertisements had decreased odds of consuming soda regularly.
• Another study showed that increased access to drinking water in schools can decrease soda consumption.
• Limiting marketing that targets children via social media, computers, television and video games. 
• Implementing a sugar-sweetened beverage tax and advertisement warning labels addressing the health-related costs of added sugar. According to a recent study, purchases of such beverages declined after price increases from implementing taxes.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers several tips for breaking soda drinking habits and making healthier beverage choices.

Healthy People 2030 has a goal to reduce the consumption of calories from added sugars by people ages two and older.

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