Intentions to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage consumption: the importance of perceived susceptibility to health risks

Abstract

Objective: There are numerous health effects associated with excess sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption. Interventions aimed at reducing population-level consumption require understanding of the relevant barriers and facilitators. This study aimed to identify the variables with the strongest relationship with intentions to reduce SSB consumption from a suite of variables derived from the literature. Design: Random digit dialling of landline and mobile phones was used to survey adults using Computer Assisted Telephone Interviews. The outcome variable was ‘likelihood of reducing SSB consumption in next 6 months’ and predictor variables were: demographics, SSB attitudes and behaviour, health risk perceptions and social/environmental exposure. Setting: Australia Participants: A subsample of 1630 regular SSB consumers from a nationally representative sample of 3430 Australian adults (38% female, 51% aged 18-45 years, 56% overweight or obese). Results: Respondents indicated that they were ‘not at all’ (30.1%), ‘somewhat’ (43.9%) and ‘very’ likely (25.3%) to reduce SSB consumption. Multi-variate nominal logistic regressions showed that perceiving future health to be ‘very much’ at risk was the strongest predictor of intention to reduce SSB consumption (Odds Ratio=8.1 [1.8-37.0], p<0.01). Other significant predictors (p<0.01) included self-perceptions about too much consumption, habitual consumption, difficulty reducing consumption, and likelihood of benefiting from reduced consumption. Conclusions: Health risk perceptions had the strongest relationship with intentions to reduce consumption. Age and consumption perceptions were also predictors in the multivariate models whereas social/environmental exposure variables were not. Interventions may seek to incorporate strategies to de-normalise consumption practices and increase knowledge about perceived susceptibility to health risks.

The Impact of Health Risk Perception on Blockchain Traceable Fresh Fruits Purchase Intention in China

“…This finding indirectly supports previous studies that link health risk perception and fish consumption [48]. Health risk perception has the strongest relationship with intentions of safe consumption [49]. For products with health risks, consumers tend to reduce their consumption and turn to products with low health risks, such as traceable products that can reveal product quality information.…”

“…In terms of outcomes of health risk perception, it was revealed that risk perceptions are directly associated with physical activity participation [39], mental health [43], behavioral changes [44], riskprotective motivation or behavior [45,46]. A few studies explored the impact of health risk perception on the consumption of alcohol [47], fish [48], and sugar [49]. However, few studies focused on traceable products, especially blockchain traceable products.…”

Daily Fluid Intake Behaviors and Associated Health Effects Among Australian and United States Populations

“…Compelling evidence suggests that meeting daily FI recommendations is associated with positive outcomes related to renal, cardiovascular, and metabolic health (de La Guéronnière et al, 2011 ; Enhörning et al, 2013 , 2015 ; Sontrop et al, 2013 ; Carroll et al, 2015 ; Hooton et al, 2018 ). The perceptions of health risk have been demonstrated to have the strongest relationship with intentions to reduce consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSB) (Dono et al, 2021 ), as intake of SSB is associated with increased risk for development of type 2 diabetes mellitus (Malik et al, 2010 ; de Koning et al, 2011 ; Malik and Hu, 2012 ), cardiovascular disease (Duffey et al, 2010 ; de Koning et al, 2012 ), obesity (Olsen and Heitmann, 2009 ; Chaloupka et al, 2011 ), and poor diet quality (Daniels and Popkin, 2010 ; Sharkey et al, 2011 ). Studies have suggested that limiting health risk behaviors can have a positive impact on health outcomes by preventing 80% of heart disease, cerebrovascular incidents, type 2 diabetes, and 40% of cancer (Baker, 2001 ; Ezzati et al, 2004 ).…”

Perceived Associations between Excessive Sugar Intake and Health Conditions

“…Moreover, alongside improving knowledge about the short- and long-term health consequences of excessive sugar, it is highly relevant to help individuals to identify which ingredients constitute sugar sources [ 33 , 34 ], how much sugar is harmful to health [ 28 , 31 ], and strategies to enhance comprehension and compliance with sugar-intake guidelines. It is also vital to disrupt potential optimistic bias [ 49 ] and promote individuals’ awareness of their susceptibility to sugar consumption’s health risks [ 50 ]. Finally, our results may also support the development of campaigns to raise awareness of the diverse health outcomes resulting from excessive sugar intake.…”