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Impact of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Education on Soft Drink Consumption among University Students in Nigeria

Abstract

Sugar-sweetened beverages, particularly soft drinks, are widely consumed by young adults and may constitute a substantial source of added sugars in the diet. Frequent consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has been associated with excessive sugar intake and increased risk of diet-related health problems, including overweight and obesity, dental caries, and other non-communicable diseases. Sugar-sweetened beverage education provides university students with information about the sugar content of soft drinks, health consequences of excessive consumption, recommended limits for added sugar intake, interpretation of nutrition labels, portion awareness, healthier beverage alternatives, and practical strategies for reducing soft drink consumption. Soft drink consumption refers to the frequency and quantity of carbonated and other commercially prepared sugar-sweetened soft drinks consumed by university students. In Nigeria, excessive soft drink consumption among university students may be influenced by widespread availability, affordability, taste preferences, convenience, social influence, aggressive marketing, and inadequate awareness of the health implications of excessive sugar consumption. Effective sugar-sweetened beverage education may improve students' knowledge and awareness and encourage healthier beverage choices. Against this background, this study investigates the impact of sugar-sweetened beverage education on soft drink consumption among university students in Nigeria. The study is anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and the Knowledge-Attitude-Practice framework. The Health Belief Model explains how students' perceptions of susceptibility to diet-related health problems, perceived severity, perceived benefits of reducing soft drink consumption, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence their beverage choices. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes the interaction between knowledge, self-efficacy, social influences, environmental conditions, and behaviour in shaping dietary practices. The Knowledge-Attitude-Practice framework provides a basis for examining how education may improve students' knowledge and attitudes and influence soft drink consumption. These theoretical perspectives collectively provide an appropriate framework for explaining the relationship between sugar-sweetened beverage education and soft drink consumption among university students in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental research design. Primary data will be collected from undergraduate students in selected Nigerian universities using a structured self-administered questionnaire, sugar-sweetened beverage knowledge assessment, and soft drink consumption assessment tool. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select universities, faculties or departments, academic levels, and eligible students. Where feasible, selected student groups will be assigned to intervention and comparison groups. Students in the intervention group will receive structured sugar-sweetened beverage education covering the sugar content of commonly consumed soft drinks, health effects of excessive sugar intake, recommended sugar limits, nutrition-label interpretation, portion sizes, healthier beverage alternatives, and practical methods for reducing soft drink consumption. Soft drink consumption will be assessed using measures such as frequency of consumption, quantity consumed per occasion, weekly consumption frequency, and changes in beverage choices following the educational intervention. Where feasible, a beverage-frequency questionnaire or short dietary recall will be used to improve the assessment of consumption patterns. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize participants' sociodemographic characteristics, previous exposure to nutrition education, beverage preferences, knowledge levels, and soft drink consumption patterns. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, paired-sample tests, independent-sample tests, and multiple regression analysis, will be used to determine the impact of sugar-sweetened beverage education on soft drink consumption. Where appropriate, consumption before and after the intervention will be compared. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability of the research instruments, model assumptions, goodness of fit, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that sugar-sweetened beverage education has a significant negative impact on excessive soft drink consumption among university students in Nigeria, indicating that increased exposure to education is associated with reduced consumption. Students who receive structured education are expected to demonstrate improved knowledge of the sugar content and health implications of frequent soft drink consumption. Education may encourage students to reduce the frequency and quantity of soft drinks consumed and increase their preference for water, unsweetened beverages, and other healthier alternatives. Practical demonstrations using commonly consumed soft drink products and their nutrition labels are expected to improve students' ability to recognize high-sugar products and make informed beverage choices. However, education alone may not guarantee sustained reductions in consumption because students may continue to encounter factors such as affordability, widespread availability, advertising, peer influence, taste preferences, convenience, and limited access to healthier alternatives on university campuses. Consequently, sugar-sweetened beverage education may be most effective when supported by accessible drinking water, healthier campus food environments, nutrition awareness campaigns, and institutional policies that encourage healthier beverage choices. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on sugar-sweetened beverages, nutrition education, dietary behaviour, university student health, nutrition literacy, obesity prevention, health promotion, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Education, universities, university health centres, nutrition and dietetics departments, public health practitioners, health educators, food regulatory authorities, student health services, development partners, and policymakers on strategies for reducing excessive soft drink consumption among young adults. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating sugar-sweetened beverage education into university health programmes, strengthening nutrition literacy, improving access to safe drinking water, promoting healthier beverage alternatives, increasing awareness of sugar content in commercially available beverages, and creating supportive university food environments that encourage healthier beverage choices.

Keywords: Sugar-sweetened beverage education, soft drink consumption, university students, Nigeria, sugar-sweetened beverages, nutrition education, dietary behaviour, sugar intake, healthy beverage choices, nutrition literacy, obesity prevention, health promotion, university health, public health.