Date of Completion

Spring 5-1-2022

Thesis Advisor(s)

Caitlin Caspi

Honors Major

Allied Health Sciences

Disciplines

Community-Based Research | Public Health | Social and Behavioral Sciences

Abstract

Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are linked to preventable chronic health conditions that low-income individuals are susceptible to. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that American adults consume 145 daily calories from SSBs even though the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends 100-150 total calories of added sugar per day. The present study investigated SSB intake and purchases from a cohort of low-wage workers (N = 434) in different household (HH) types. HH composition was designated as “Households with children,” and “Households without children,” based on self-report. SSB consumption was measured on a 3-item Food Frequency Questionnaire (FFQ), summed, and converted into daily servings. SSB purchases were measured by food receipts collected over 2 weeks and calculated as dollars spent per household member. A Mann-Whitney U test determined differences between HH types for consumption and per person purchase of SSBs, with the median spending for HH with children being $1.69 more than HH with no children (p < 0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in the daily servings of SSBs consumed by participants (p = 0.065), although the median serving for HH with children was 0.24 more than HH without children. SSBs comprised a greater percent of food receipt costs for HH with no children (4.91%, p < 0.001). Overall, the presence of HH children was associated with less per person spending on SSBs, but minimally related to SSB consumption in this sample.

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