Knowledge and perceptions of obesity prevention and reducing sugar-sweetened beverages consumption among high school girl students in Shahrekord

Background and aims: The prevalence of obesity among children and adolescents is increasing worldwide. One of the key lifestyle behaviors that helps prevent obesity and being overweight among children and adolescents is to avoid drinking sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) or to take, at most, one serving per day. The present study intended to evaluate knowledge and perceptions of high school girl students in Shahrekord on reducing SSBs consumption based on the health belief model (HBM). Methods: The present descriptive-analytical study, conducted in 2013–2014, randomly recruited 308 female students aged 13–14 years. The data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire based on HBM and a food frequency questionnaire (FFQ). The validity and reliability of the questionnaire were evaluated using face validity, content validity, and inter-rater reliability. The Chi-square test, Pearson’s correlation, and Spearman’s correlation tests were used in SPSS software to analyze the data. The participants declared their informed consent for participation. Results: The research findings showed that the mean score of students’ knowledge was 36.53 ± 21.87; mean scores of perceived susceptibility and perceived severity were 31.88 ± 15.04, and 34.76 ± 19.82, respectively; perceived benefits of reducing the consumption of SSBs was 43.51 ± 20.18, and perceived barriers was 41.56 ± 15.69. There was a direct significant relationship between knowledge and perceived susceptibility as well as between perceived susceptibility and perceived severity. The students’ intake of SSBs was calculated as 2.95 glasses per day. There was a direct significant relationship between perceived benefits and mother’s job, between perceived barriers and father’s job, and between knowledge and mother’s age. There was an inverse relationship between perceived susceptibility and father’s job. Conclusion: Considering the high intake of SSBs among students, along with their little knowledge and perception about its negative effects, it seems necessary to plan for proper educational and theory-based interventions for adolescents in order to improve their knowledge and develop a positive attitude toward reducing SSBs consumption.