Temporal trends of carbonated soft-drink consumption among adolescents aged 12–15 years from eighteen countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas

Abstract

Abstract Carbonated soft-drink consumption is detrimental to multiple facets of adolescent health. However, little is known about temporal trends in carbonated soft-drink consumption among adolescents, particularly in non-Western countries. Therefore, we aimed to examine this trend in representative samples of school-going adolescents from eighteen countries in Africa, Asia and the Americas. Cross-sectional data from the Global School-based Student Health Survey 2009–2017 were analysed. Carbonated soft-drink consumption referred to drinking carbonated soft-drinks at least once per day in the past 30 d. The prevalence of carbonated soft-drink consumption was calculated for each survey, and crude linear trends were assessed by linear regression models. Data on 74 055 students aged 12–15 years were analysed (mean age 13·9 (sd 1·0) years; 49·2 % boys). The overall mean prevalence of carbonated soft-drink consumption was 42·1 %. Of the eighteen countries included in the study, significant decreasing, increasing and stable trends of carbonated soft-drink consumption were observed in seven, two and nine countries, respectively. The most drastic decrease was observed in Kuwait between 2011 (74·4 %) and 2015 (51·7 %). Even in countries with significant decreasing trends, the decrease was rather modest, while some countries with stable trends had very high prevalence across time (e.g. Suriname 80·5 % in 2009 and 79·4 % in 2016). The prevalence of carbonated soft-drink consumption was high in all countries included in the present analysis, despite decreasing trends being observed in some. Public health initiatives to reduce the consumption of carbonated soft-drink consumption among adolescents are urgently required.