Abstract:
Background:
The rising prevalence of consumption of sweet beverages and sugar sweet snacks among
preschool children globally, especially in low- and middle-income countries, presents significant
health and economic concerns. However, there is limited research on this issue in Ethiopia,
particularly in Gondar city.
Objective: To assess the prevalence and factors associated with sweet beverage and sugary
snack consumption among preschool children in Gondar city, Ethiopia.
Methods: Community based cross-sectional study was conducted in Gondar city from July to
August2024. A multistage sampling technique followed by simple random sampling technique
was used to select the study units with a total of 820 samples. The compiled data was coded and
entered into Epi-Data version 6.0.2. The cleaned data was exported into in to SPSS software for
further analysis.. Factors that were associated with the outcome variable were identified using
binary logistic regression. Variables with p value < 0.25 were fitted to the final model. The
strength of the association was determined using Crude Odds Ratio (COR) and Adjusted Odds
Ratio (AOR) at 95% Confidence Interval (CI), in the initial and the final model respectively.
Statistical significance was declared at p value <0.05. The fitness of the model was assessed
using Hosmer and Lemeshow goodness of test (p value>0.05).
Results: Approximately 73.8% (95% CI: 70–76.8%) of preschool children consumed sweet
beverages and sugary snacks in the past 24 hours. Significant factors associated with increased
consumption included lack of nutrition education among caregivers (AOR: 2.48, 95% CI: 1.73–
3.57), availability of nearby shops (AOR: 5.65, 95% CI: 2.64–12.13), caregivers believing sweet
foods have nutritional value (AOR: 4.12, 95% CI: 2.54–6.64), and caregivers thinking fresh juice
has health benefits (AOR: 5.85, 95% CI: 3.69–9.28).
Conclusion: Sweet beverage and sugary snack consumption among preschool children in
Gondar city is comparatively higher than previous reports. Misconceptions about their nutritional
value and lack of nutrition education contribute to this issue. Strengthening nutrition education
and implementing community-level interventions are crucial to promoting healthier food choices.
