Consumption of sweetened, energy and alcoholic beverages among college students in the México-US border

Abstract

The consumption of sugary, energy and alcoholic drinks among college students might be a health risk factor. To assess the consumption of sugary, energy and alcoholic drinks and to determine their associations with body mass index (BMI) status among college students. Second and third year college students enrolled in five different majors at the Universidad Autónoma de Baja California were evaluated. Weight, height and waist circumference were measured and BMI was calculated. A frequency questionnaire of 19 drinks was administered. A total of 1138 students participated in the study. The prevalence of obesity and abdominal obesity was 12 and 33% with 14 and 17% in women and men respectively. Fifty-five per cent of women and 68% of men consumed more than 25g of sugar drinks per day; 12% consumed more than 100g of sugar daily. The daily caloric intake from beverages was greater than 450kcal with 350kcal in men and women respectively. Ten per cent of women and 15% of men consumed more than 30g of alcohol daily. The sugary drinks more frequently consumed were fruit juices (90%), whole milk (69%), regular soft drinks (83%), beer (37%), liquor (27%) and energy drinks (12%). Consumption of sugary, energy, and alcoholic drinks is very high, which may be a health risk in this population.