Research on Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Drinks and 100% Fruit Juice

Abstract

Measurement of consumption of sugar-sweetened and 100% fruit juice drinks is typically patchy and often nutritionally focused, particularly in developing countries such as Turkey, with limited public perception and awareness of the health risks associated with excessive SSB consumption, and a low stimulus level of 100% fruit juice intake. In the study, the effects of socio-demographic, economic, and lifestyle characteristics of individuals and households on their different consumption probabilities of pure fruit juice (100% FJ) and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) were determined using the random-effects bivariate probit model in the context of family heterogeneity in Turkey. A richer source of information was elicited by deriving different probabilities from the bivariate random effects probit model. The applied model was found to be more compatible with the data and all the correlation coefficients examined were statistically significant. While most of the variables were statistically significant, according to the regressor effect, the probability of consuming 100% fruit juice among sugar-sweetened intakers was found to be greater or less than the probability of consuming 100% fruit juice of a randomly selected individual from the population (e.g., marginal probability). In this context, we can expect that the implementation of distinct intervention health programs that will involve different population segments will contribute greatly to the development of ideal outcomes. In addition, policy recommendations were presented considering the effects of very important variables.