Regional Differences in Sugar‐sweetened Beverage Intake among US Adults

Abstract

We examined associations between region of residence and sugar‐sweetened beverage (SSB) intake among adults using the 2010 National Health Interview Survey data (n=25,431). SSBs included 4 types of beverages (regular soda, fruit drink, sports/energy drink, and sweetened coffee/tea drink). The exposure variable was census region. We used multivariable logistic regression to estimate adjusted odds ratios (OR) for SSB intake after controlling for sociodemographic factors. About 64% consumed SSB 蠅1 time/day. The odds of drinking SSB 蠅1 time/day was significantly higher among adults living in the Northeast (OR=1.13), but lower among adults living in the Midwest (OR=0.70) or West (OR=0.78) than those living in the South. By type of SSBs, the odds of drinking regular soda 蠅1 time/day was significantly lower among adults living in the Northeast (OR=0.51), Midwest (OR=0.86), or West (OR=0.56) versus the South. The odds of drinking sports/energy drink 蠅1 time/day was significantly lower among adults living in the West (OR=0.77) than those in the South. The odds of drinking sweetened coffee/tea drink 蠅1 time/day was significantly higher among adults living in the Northeast (OR=1.60), but lower among adults in the Midwest (OR=0.70) than those living in the South. Total SSB intake and type of SSB intake differed by region of residence. Intervention efforts to reduce SSB intake can consider regional variations in total and types of SSBs when more local level data are not available.