Trend in Consumption of Soft-drinks in Europe between 1997-2014

Objectives: Regular soft-drinks consumption is a risk factor for dental caries, erosion, obesity and type II diabetes. Aim: The aim of this study was to describe the trend in frequency of daily soft-drinks consumption in 23 European countries between 1997 and 2014.
Methods: Methods: The study is a part of the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey, a WHO collaborative cross-national study which is completed every four years. Altogether 177,400 pupils aged 15 years filled in an anonymous standardised questionnaire during school hours between 1997/1998 and 2013/2014. School classes were used as clusters and samples were nationally representative except in the Russian Federation.
Results: Results: In the 1997/1998 survey, the highest prevalence of daily consumption of soft-drinks were found in Scotland (67%), Ireland (63%), England (60%) and Greenland (59%), and the lowest in Finland (14%), Lithuania (24%) and Sweden (25%). Over time, the prevalence decreased in all countries (average decline -25%; range from -3 to -49%). The largest decreases were found in Ireland (among boys -61% and among girls -38%), Greece (-52/-37%), England (-49/-40%) and Scotland (-45/-33%). The difference between the highest and the lowest consumption figures declined from 53% to 34%. In the 2013/2014 survey, the highest prevalences were seen in Greenland (37%), Flemish Belgium (32%), France and Hungary (31%), and the lowest in Finland, Estonia, Sweden, Denmark and Greece (3-6%). In 1997/1998, boys consumed soft-drinks daily more often than girls (mean difference 15%; range 6-20%). Gender difference also declined over time, being on average 6% (range 1-13%) in 2013/2014. In Hungary in 2013/2014, however, girls reported to consume soft-drinks slightly more often than boys (difference 2%).
Conclusions: Conclusions: Daily consumption of soft-drinks is still of concern. Differences in the daily consumption of soft-drinks between European countries diminished over time but still remained quite large. In almost all countries, boys consumed soft-drinks more often than girls, but this difference diminished as the overall consumption declined.