The Combination of School-Based and Family-Based Interventions Appears Effective in Reducing the Consumption of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages, a Randomized Controlled Trial among Chinese Schoolchildren

Abstract

To examine whether environmental interventions, student awareness and parents’ model roles are associated with the consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), a randomized controlled trial was conducted among Chinese schoolchildren. A multi-stage cluster random sampling method was applied to select four primary schools, two in urban areas and two in rural areas, in Nanjing, eastern China. Classes of the third grade in the selected four schools were randomly assigned to the intervention group and control group. Among selected students in those classes, aged 9–10 years, those in the intervention group received intervention measures comprising school-based and family-based measures and accepted monthly monitoring along with interventions, for two consecutive semesters, while those in the control group did not receive any specific interventions. After intervention, there was a significant increase in SSB knowledge and an improvement in the family environment with parents in the intervention group. The proportion of frequent consumption (≥4 times/week) of any SSBs in the intervention group was lower than that in the control group (31.5% vs. 56.2%, p < 0.01). Multivariate analysis indicated that parental education level is positively associated with reduced SSB consumption. Interventions showed an average decrease in SSBs consumption by 1.77 units, those living in urban areas decreased by 2.05 units. The combination of school-based and family-based interventions appears effective in reducing SSB consumption among Chinese schoolchildren, especially in urban areas and for those with parents with lower educational levels.