Abstract
BACKGROUND: The consumption of soft carbonated drinks and other sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) has been identified as a risk factor for several chronic diseases. We aimed to ascertain the proportion of carbonated beverage and SSB consumption, as well as the associated factors, in Hamadan, a city in the west of Iran. METHODS: This cross-sectional study was conducted on adults over 18 years old. To estimate the information related to the consumption of SSB, the standardized Iranian version of the FFQ questionnaire was used. The weekly consumption of four or more cups was considered to be high consumption. Multiple logistic regression was used for the identification of related factors of SSB. The results were reported at the 95% confidence level. RESULTS: A total of 628 individuals were included in the study. The mean age of the participants was 38.05 (SD = 12.54), and 42.36% of the sample was male. The frequency (%) of high total SSB consumption was 321 (51.11%), with 95% CI: 47.20, 55.02. The high consumption was higher among males than females, 162 (60.90%) versus 159 (43.92%); p < 0.001, and among unmarried and married individuals was 54.88% and 50.55% respectively but the difference was not significant (p = 0.465). The odds of high SSB consumption were significantly lower for individuals of advanced age and female gender. In terms of socioeconomic status, the second, third, and fourth quartiles exhibited higher odds of high SSB consumption compared to the first quartile, with ORs of 1.64 (95% CI: 1.04, 2.60), 1.61 (95% CI: 1.01, 2.57), and 1.77 (95% CI: 1.09, 2.88), respectively. CONCLUSION: Based on the results of this study the high sugar-sweetened beverage consumption was significant. The consumption among females and younger was lower than males and older people. It seems, that there is a significant negative association between female gender and age with SSB consumption, suggesting that males and older individuals tend to consume more sugar-sweetened beverages. On the other hand, socio-economic status was positively associated with SSB consumption, indicating that individuals with higher socio-economic status may have a higher intake of these beverages.