Conditions Surrounding Beverage Consumption by the French

Abstract

Drinking of beverages is often studied from the perspective of fluid intake or nutritional input, but rarely in terms of the nature and type of the drinks consumed. Yet the choice of drinks consumed is highly influenced by contexts relating to social, behavioral and psycho-emotional factors that are specific for each type of beverage, the associated setting, and the individual. To analyze this, we conductedtwo quantitativesurveys regarding beverage consumption with two samples representative of the French population that had a similar size and age group (20 – 54 years of age). Drinking categories were defined and analyzed by Principal Components Analysis according to two axes (non-alcoholic soft drinks – alcoholic and hot drinks – fruit juice). The benefit sought for each type of beverage and the circumstances associated with a specific type of beverage (social experience) were identified, and this allowed each type of beverage to be clearly categorized. These findings provide new perspectives in terms of educational and public health strategies.