The objective of this research was to examine state-specific sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) intake and behavioral characteristics associated with SSB intake.

Researchers used data from the 2011 Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System for 38,978 adults aged 18 years or older from six states: Delaware, Hawaii, Iowa, Minnesota, New Jersey, and Wisconsin. The study revealed that overall, 23.9 percent of adults drank SSBs at least once a day. Odds of drinking SSBs one or more times per day were significantly greater among younger adults; males; non-Hispanic blacks; adults with lower education; low-income adults or adults with missing income data; adults living in Delaware, Iowa, and Wisconsin versus those living in Minnesota; adults with fruit intake of less than one time a day versus one or more times a day; adults who were physically inactive versus highly active adults; and current smokers versus nonsmokers. Odds for drinking SSBs one or more times per day were significantly lower among adults with 100 percent fruit juice intake of less than one time per day versus one or more times per day and among adults who drank alcohol versus those who did not drink alcohol.

Research: Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages Among US Adults in 6 States: Behavioral Risk Factor Surveillance System, 2011, Sohyun Park, PhD; Liping Pan, MD, MPH; Bettylou Sherry, PhD, RD; Heidi M. Blanck, PhD, Prev Chronic Dis (2014), DOI: 10.5888/pcd11.130304.