37
Volume1 Issue1
|
S
upporting
Y
our
P
ractice
The following originally appeared on the Oasis Discussions website—
oasisdiscussions.ca
.This site answers your clinical questions, discusses
issues related to theprofession, voicesdentists’ experiences, touches on the
business ofdentistryand showcases innovations in thedental industry.
Thissummary isbasedonanarticle
published intheMarch2014editionof
the
JournalofSchoolHealth
.Courtesyof
WileyPublishing, youcanaccessthe
full-textversionofthearticleviaOasis
Discussionsuntil theendofMay.
OasisDiscussions
“Sodabriety”:
interveningagainst the impact
of sugar-sweetenedbeverages
Context:
Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are the largest source
of added sugar in the U.S. diet. In adolescents aged 12–19, these drinks
account for 13% to 28% of total daily calories. Compared with other
adolescents, those residing inAppalachia have the highest consumption
ratesof SSBs.
Methods:
Using a Teen Advisory Council (TAC), a student-designed
and student-led intervention was conducted at 2 high schools in a
rural Appalachian county. Using repeated-measures models design with
Bonferronicorrection,datawerecollectedondailyandweeklyconsumption
of SSBsandofwateratbaseline, immediatelypost-intervention, and30days
post-intervention. Vendingmachine surveyswerecompleted.
Results:
The 186 participants reported purchasing SSBs from school
vendingmachines (41.4%), cafeteria (36.5%), and school stores (7.7%). Daily
SSBservingsdecreased fromanaverageof2.32 (SD=2.14) to1.32 (SD=1.29)
(
p
< 0.001). Weekly consumptiondecreased from an average of 4.30 (SD=
2.40)days/week to2.64 (SD=1.91) (
p
<0.001).Waterconsumption increased
19% frombaseline to immediatelypost-intervention.
Conclusions:
Student-directed efforts to support behavioural change
are feasible and effective at affecting individual lifestyle behaviors. Small
and manageable changes may lead to net improvements in lifestyle
behaviours.
a
“With itsstudent-designedandstudent-led
intervention, thispilotprojectalreadyhad
themost importantelement for success—
peerpressure. Earlier thismonth,
JAMA
InternalMedicine
published the results
ofa largeepidemiological study linking
addedsugar intake tocardiovascular
mortality inadultseven in theabsence
ofobesity. Sugarappears tobeabigger
threat tohealth than fat.Whatcouldwe,
asdentists,do tostandupagainst sugar in
suchaneffectivewayas ‘sodabriety’?”
“Wecanadd ‘sodabriety’ intoour
vernacular…andduringour interactions
withpatients theyexpectus tovilifysugar.
Weshouldn’t let themdown.”
ThisDiscussionspost
promptedrepliesfrom
twocolleagues:
Visit
and join theconversation.
