The Association Between Soft Drink Consumption and Health Risk Behaviors Among School-Going Adolescents in Bolivia

This study aims to study the relationship between soft drink
consumption (SDC) and health risk behaviors among 11-to 18-year-old Bolivian students. The secondary analysis of the cross-sectional 2018 Bolivia Global School-Based Student Health Survey was used. The sample included
7,931 adolescents (50.3% males, and 49.7% females), mean age 15.5 years (SD = 1.6). The study found that no or < once/day SDC in the past 7 days was 66.3%, once a day 15.2%, two or three times a day 12.1%, and four or more times per day 6.4% (33.7% at least once per day). Students who had one to three times soft drinks per day were more likely to have been injured (OR: 1.27, 95% CI: 1.09, 1.48; OR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.08, 1.56), Students who drank two or more soft drinks a day were more likely to engage in a physical fight in the last 12 months. (OR: 1.41, 95%
CI: 1.19, 1.69; OR: 1.35, 95% CI: 1.07, 1.70), current alcohol use (OR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.16, 1.71; OR: 1.59, 95% CI: 1.21, 2.08), students who drank four or more
soft drinks a day were more likely to attempt suicide (OR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.02, 1.64), sat for 3 or more hours per day during leisure time (OR: 1.51, 95% CI: 1.25, 1.82), been ever drunk (OR: 1.61, 95% CI: 1.23, 2.11), and cyberbullied (OR: 1.43, 95% CI: 1.03, 1.99). There was no relationship between SDC and physical inactivity, current cannabis use, physically attacked, amphetamine use, and bullied in or outside the school. Soft drink consumption was associated with eight of 13 health risk behaviors.