Soft drink consumption in Sri Lankan adolescents

To determine the factors associated with sugar-sweetened soft drink consumption in adolescents from Sri Lanka.

A cross-sectional study where the data were collected by means of a self-administered questionnaire.

Government, private and international schools in the Colombo district of Sri Lanka.

Adolescents aged 17 years attending sixty-five schools.

Overall 82 % consumed sugar-sweetened soft drinks once weekly or more often, while 77 % and 48 % consumed sugar-sweetened carbonated drinks and sugar-sweetened fruit drinks once weekly or more often. Being a boy (OR = 1·44; 95 % CI 1·02, 2·03), attending a private/international school (OR = 4·12; 95 % CI 1·94, 8·75), mother's level of education (OR = 1·53; 95 % CI 1·03, 2·28) and father's occupation (middle level: OR = 2·39; 95 % CI 1·63, 3·52; upper level: OR = 2·48; 95 % CI 1·35, 4·56) were independently associated with the consumption of sugar-sweetened soft drinks.

The majority of adolescents in this sample consumed sugar-sweetened beverages once weekly or more often. It was evident that some sociodemographic factors were associated with the consumption of these drinks.