Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption, correlates and interventions among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities: a scoping review

Abstract

ObjectivesSugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption in Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people is reported to be disproportionally high compared with the general Australian population. This review aimed to scope the literature documenting SSB consumption and interventions to reduce SSB consumption among Australian Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people. Findings will inform strategies to address SSB consumption in Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities.MethodsPubMed, SCOPUS, CINAHL, Informit, Joanna Briggs Institute EBP, Mura databases and grey literature were searched for articles published between January 1980 and June 2018. Studies were included if providing data specific to an Australian Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander population’s SSB consumption or an intervention that focused on reducing SSB consumption in this population.DesignSystematic scoping review.Results59 articles were included (1846 screened). While reported SSB consumption was high, there were age-related and community-related differences observed in some studies. Most studies were conducted in remote or rural settings. Implementation of nutrition interventions that included an SSB component has built progressively in remote communities since the 1980s with a growing focus on community-driven, culturally sensitive approaches. More recent studies have focused exclusively on SSB consumption. Key SSB-related intervention elements included incentivising healthier options; reducing availability of less-healthy options; nutrition education; multifaceted or policy implementation (store nutrition or government policy).ConclusionsThere was a relatively large number of studies reporting data on SSB consumption and/or sales, predominantly from remote and rural settings. During analysis it was subjectively clear that the more impactful studies were those which were community driven or involved extensive community consultation and collaboration. Extracting additional SSB-specific consumption data from an existing nationally representative survey of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people could provide detailed information for demographic subgroups and benchmarks for future interventions. It is recommended that a consistent, culturally appropriate, set of consumption measures be developed.

Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among Indigenous Australian children aged 0–3 years and association with sociodemographic, life circumstances and health factors

“…While the present study indicates that SSB consumption is common among young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children, this is not an issue specific to this population (18) ; there is clear evidence of a high prevalence of SSB intake among infants in the total Australian population (1,17,19,86) and in other countries including Finland (87) and Brazil (88) . Efforts to reduce SSB consumption by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children could be broadened to lead to health benefits at the population level.…”

“…There is a high prevalence of SSB consumption in Australia, and particularly high consumption prevalence and volume among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (18)(19)(20) . While the measurement approaches and populations have varied across studies, there is consistent localised and national quantitative evidence of high SSB intake by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the first 3 years of life (Table 1) (18,(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26) . For example, data from the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NATSINPAS) indicated that 26•0 (95 % CI 13 •5, 38•5) % of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children aged 2-3 years had consumed cordial on the day prior to interview, compared with 10•3 (95 % CI 6•4, 14•2) % of non-Indigenous children in the Australian Health Survey (18,21,22) .…”

“…There is a high prevalence of SSB consumption in Australia, and particularly high consumption prevalence and volume among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples (18)(19)(20) . While the measurement approaches and populations have varied across studies, there is consistent localised and national quantitative evidence of high SSB intake by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in the first 3 years of life (Table 1) (18,(21)(22)(23)(24)(25)(26) .…”

Trends in soft drink and sugar‐sweetened beverage consumption among South Australians, focusing on distribution of intake by subpopulation

“…This is an important subpopulation due to health disparity observed between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and non‐Aboriginal Australians. Review of existing literature and data gathered as part of the National Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Nutrition and Physical Activity Survey (NATSINPAS) have found the prevalence of SSB consumption is disproportionately high among Aboriginal people 45,46 …”

Revenue allocation from SSB taxes: making the case for oral health promotion

“…Sugar‐sweetened beverage (SSBs) are one of the largest sources of free sugars in the diet, with excess consumption linked with NCDs. Health impacts are greatest in disadvantaged groups. NCDs pose substantial health and economic burdens.…”