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Research Article
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Association between socioeconomic factors and soft drink consumption among adults in Cambodia: a cross-sectional study

[version 3; peer review: 1 approved with reservations]
PUBLISHED 09 Aug 2021
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This article is included in the Global Public Health gateway.

Abstract

Background: Soft drinks are an attractive and popular drink, consumed by many people to fulfill their energy. However, soft drink consumption is an important risk factor for non-communicable diseases. This study aimed to investigate the association between socioeconomic factors and soft drink consumption among adults in Cambodia. 
Methods: A cross-sectional analytical study with multi-stage random sampling was used to select 749 respondents from 12 communes across 5 districts in Phnom Penh, the capital city of Cambodia. A structured questionnaire was used to assess socioeconomic factors and soft drink consumption. Data were analyzed using bivariate and multivariable logistic regression. Crude odds ratios and adjusted odds ratios (AORs) with 95% confident intervals (CI) were calculated to show the strength of associations.
Results: The overall prevalence of soft drink consumption was 44.73% (95%CI: 41.16-48.30%) across the sample population. The final model of multiple logistic regression showed only four factors to be significantly associated with soft drink consumption: gender, age, family size and income. Respondents most likely to consume soft drinks were men (AOR: 1.49, 95%CI: 1.10-2.00; p=0.009), those aged 31-59 years (AOR: 1.93, 95%CI: 1.98-4.62; p<0.001), those in a household of less than 5 individuals (AOR: 1.38, 95%CI: 1.44-3.19; p=0.036), and those earning <300$/month (AOR: 1.59, 95%CI: 1.10-2.31; p=0.003).
Conclusion: The prevalence of soft drink consumption in Cambodia is a major concern for public health. The predictive factors significantly associated with soft drink consumption identified by this study were gender, age, household size and income. Therefore, all stakeholders should contribute to social marketing and intervention focusing on reducing the consumption of soft drinks through advertising on social media, television and other popular media platforms. Furthermore, additional taxation of soft drinks should be considered.

Keywords

Socio-economic, adults, multiple logistic regression, Cambodia

Revised Amendments from Version 2

One more affiliation was added and some general changes to grammar were made throughout. A correction was made in Table 1. On the other hand, the limitation and recommendation for implication and application also have been added.

See the authors' detailed response to the review by Prince Atorkey

Introduction

Nutritional status is a principle determinant of health. Assessment of nutritional status, dietary intake, and related factors are of worldwide importance to public health. Although recent studies reported that nutritional status has improved remarkably over the last few decades, the rates of people being classed as underweight or overweight remain high. In general, being overweight/obese or underweight severely affect an individual’s health and their quality of life, increase their risk of developing infectious diseases, reduce their ability to work, prolong hospitalization and increase the risk of illness and death. Thus, achieving and maintaining an ideal body weight is highly advisable1,2.

There are many factors influencing becoming overweight and obese. Lifestyle, cultural activities, socioeconomic factors, physical inactivity and diet are the main factors that have been found to have an association with being overweight and obese36. Many studies have reported that one of the main factors influencing becoming overweight and obese is inappropriate diet, especially soft drink consumption710.

Soft drinks provide little nutritional value and are energy-dense11. Dietary patterns have changed rapidly throughout the world, especially in Western countries where consumption of soft drinks is popular11. However, this trend has been extended across Asian countries, including Cambodia, where soft drink consumption has replaced nutritional Asian foods such as fish, vegetables and other less energy-dense foods.

A number of developing and developed countries in the world are facing what is described by the World Health Organization (WHO) as the double burden of malnutrition, the simultaneous impacts of undernutrition and overweightness/obesity12. Research has shown the prevalence of individuals being overweight to be significantly higher in urban compared to rural areas13. However, the true relationships between socioeconomic factors and soft drink consumption among adults in urban Cambodia is hitherto unknown.

As such, the present study aimed to determine the association between socioeconomic factors and soft drink consumption of adults in Phnom Penh, the urban metropolis of Cambodia, providing vital information for public health professionals and policy makers in order to prepare educational programs and interventional policies.

Methods

Study setting and design

A structured questionnaire was administered from March, 2018 to July, 2018 at participant homes in participants’ free time using a cross-sectional multi-stage random sampling method in order to select 749 samples among 12 communes out of 5 districts in the Phnom Penh municipality of Cambodia.

The study design was reviewed by the Khon Kaen University ethics committee and was approved for human research (Reference No. HE582071). Data collection was conducted by administering the questionnaire in a face-to-face interview. All participants gave written informed consent to participate in the study. If the participant was unable to read the consent form, the researcher read it aloud for them.

Study participants

Multi-stage random sampling was used to select the samples in this study. Phnom Penh capital city was selected and 5 districts were randomly selected from the total of 12 districts of Phnom Penh capital city. Then 2 or 3 communes were randomly selected from each selected district, for a total of 12 communes to be selected. Each household in each commune was listed and assigned a number and a systematic random sampling procedure was used to select 748 households from the total 44,436 households. Finally, one member aged 18-59 of each household was randomly selected if the household had more than one member in this age category.

The inclusion criteria for the study were that participants over 18 years of age, and were able to understand the questionnaire. Exclusion criteria were any serious health problems (causing them to be bedbound), diarrhea at the time of data collection (defecating more than 3 times per day), pregnancy, mental illness, deformity and lower limb amputation.

The sample size for this study was calculated using an established formula14 and the estimated sample size was 749.

The outcome measure used in this study is soft drink consumption, for which a threshold of ≥3 times per week was chosen. This threshold was used as it has been previously associated with being overweight/obese, and having metabolic syndrome1517.

Questionnaire

A structured questionnaire was developed based on the research questions and relevant literature. The questionnaire consisted of two parts: part 1, demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, including gender, age, marital status, educational attainment, occupation, number of family members and personal monthly income; part 2, lifestyle and behavior characteristics, including tobacco use, alcohol consumption, food habits, soft drink consumption, physical activity and sedentary behavior.

As the questionnaires were developed for data collection, a pre-test of the questionnaire was conducted in 30 participants from different areas from the target group. Reliability was calculated using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient, and was 0.857. Then the questionnaire was developed and tested for content validity by five experts. Finally, a forum of researchers edited and rearranged the questionnaire based on the results of the field test, with the aim to ensure the validity and reliability of the tool.

Dependent variable. Participants consuming soft drinks more than three times per week was the dependent variable used in this study. Participants were asked “How many times per week have you drunk a soft drink in the last month?” Participant answers were classified into two groups: those who drank soft drinks less than 3 times per week (“no” = 0) and 3 times per week of more (“yes” = 1).

Predictor variables. Age, household income and expenditure, and the number of individuals in the household were coded as continuous variables. Categorical variables comprised gender (male or female), marital status (single, married or divorced), level of education (no formal education, primary, secondary, high school, associated degree, Bachelor’ degree, Master’s degree or higher), occupation (farmer, unemployed, NGO employee, self-employed, student, government officer, home maker, unskilled worker, or other) and the people they were cohabiting with (spouse, parents, relatives, none, friend, or other).

Statistical analysis

Data were imported to Stata version 13 (College Station, Texas, USA) for analysis. Continuous and categorical data were inspected using descriptive statistics to determine the frequencies and percentages (categorical variables) and means, medians and standard deviations (continuous variables) of each socio-economic and demographic characteristic collected. Bivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the association between each socioeconomic factor and the outcome measure of soft drink consumption. Crude odds ratios (CORs) were computed using 95% confidence intervals (CIs) and variables with significance of p<0.25 were entered into the final model. In this final model, multivariate logistic regression was used to estimate the association between socioeconomic factors and soft drink consumption. Adjusted odds ratios (AORs) were then computed using the 95% CI. Significance was considered at a threshold of p<0.05.

Results

Socioeconomic characteristics of the participants

A total of 749 participants from 5 districts and 12 communes were recruited into the study. The socio-demographic characteristics of respondents are summarized in Table 1. In total, 50.2% of participants were women and 49.80% were men, and the mean age of participants (± standard deviation) was 32.26±11 years. The marital status of participants was 53.94% married, 43.52% single and 2.54% divorced. The most frequent level of participants’ highest educational attainment was high school (31.91%), followed by Bachelor’s degree (26.44%) and primary school level (15.22%). The most frequent occupations were private company workers (28.97%), self-employed (21.36%) and students (20.16%), with only 0.67% of the participants being farmers and 0.93% unemployed. More than half of the participants (57.41%) had a household size of less than 5 members, and participants most frequently reported living with their spouse (47.93%), parents (25.37%) and relatives (12.95%). Monthly income ranged from US$40 to $5,100 with a mean (±SD) of US$495±686.7. Monthly expenditure ranged from US$20 to $3,750 USD with mean of US$288.5±394.1 (see Table 1).

Table 1. Baseline characteristics of respondents (n=749).

CharacteristicsN (%)
Gender
          Male373 (49.80)
          Female376 (50.20)
Age (years)
          18–20106 (14.15)
          21–30253 (33.78)
          31–40229 (30.57)
          41–5098 (13.08)
          >5063 (8.41)
          Mean (SD)32.26±11
          Median (Min: Max)30 (18-59)
Marital status
          Single326 (43.52)
          Married404 (53.94)
          Widowed19 (2.54)
Highest level of education
          Master’s degree or higher15 (2.00)
          No formal education69 (9.21)
          Bachelor’s degree 198 (26.44)
          Secondary school95 (12.68)
          Associated degree19 (2.54)
          Primary school114 (15.22)
          High school239 (31.91)
Occupation
          Unemployed7 (0.93)
          Housewife48 (6.41)
          Student151 (20.16)
          Farmer5 (0.67)
          Self-employed160 (21.36)
          Unskilled worker25 (3.34)
          Private company worker217 (28.97)
          NGO employee11 (1.47)
          Government officer69 (9.21)
          Others56 (7.48)
Household size (number of persons)
          <5430 (57.41)
          ≥5319 (42.59)
Household constituents
          Parents190 (25.37)
          Alone50 (6.68)
          Others20 (2.97)
          Spouse359 (47.93)
          Relatives97 (12.95)
          Friend 33 (4.41)
Income (USD/Month)
          >300316 (42.19)
          ≥300433 (57.81)
          Mean (±SD)495 (±686.7)
          Median (Min: Max)300 (40-5,100)
Expenditure (USD/Month)
          >500526 (70.27)
          ≥500223 (29.77)
          Mean (±SD)288.5 (±394.1)
          Median (Min: Max)200 (20-3,750)

Factors associated with soft drink consumption with simple logistic regression

The overall prevalence of soft drink consumption was 44.73% (95%CI: 41.16-48.30%). Educational attainment, gender, age, occupation, household composition, household size, and income were found to have associations with soft drink consumption (p<0.25) in the bivariate analysis (Table 2).

Table 2. Odds ratio (ORs) of socioeconomic factors associated with soft drink consumption (SDC) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) (n=749).

CharacteristicsN%SDCOR95%CIp-value
Overall74944.73N/A41.16-48.30N/A
Gender0.037
          Female37640.961
          Male37348.531.361.02 - 2.81
Age (years)<0.001
          31–5939036.671
          18–3035953.481.981.48-2.66
Marital status
          Married 40439.6010.002
          Unmarried34550.721.601.17- 2.09
Educational attainment0.042
          ≤High school27839.931
          >High school47147.561.361.01-1.84
Occupation0.051
          Employed543 42.541
          Unemployed206 50.491.380.99- 1.90
Household size (persons)0.112
          ≥531941.381
          <5430 47.211.270.94- 1.70
Household constituents0.532
          With Family 64644.271
          Without Family10347.571.140.75-1.73
Income (US Dollar/Month)0.001
          ≥30043339.261
          <30031652.221.691.26- 2.27
Expenditure (US Dollar/Month)0.212
          ≥50022341.261
          <50052646.201.220.89-1.68

Factors associated with soft drink consumption with multiple logistic regressions

The final model found only four factors associated with soft drink consumption: gender, age, household size and income. Men (AOR: 1.49, 95%CI: 1.10-2.00; p = 0.009), those aged 31-59 years (AOR: 1.93, 95%CI: 1.98-4.62; p <0.001), those in smaller households (AOR: 1.38, 95%CI: 1.44-3.19; p = 0.036), and those earning <US$300/month (AOR: 1.59, 95%CI: 1.10-2.31; p = 0.003) were more likely to consume soft drinks at least three times a week (Table 3).

Table 3. Adjusted odds ratio (ORs) of socioeconomic factors associated with soft drink consumption (SDC) and their 95% confidence intervals (CIs) (n=749).

CharacteristicsN%SDCCrude ORAdjusted OR95%CIp-value
Overall74944.73N/AN/A41.16-48.30N/A
Gender0.009
          Female37631.6511
          Male37345.841.361.491.10-2.00
Age (years)<0.001
          ≤3035921.4511
          ≥3139054.621.981.931.98-4.62
Household size0.036
          ≥531941.3811
          <543047.211.271.381.44-3.19
Income (US Dollar/Month)0.003
          ≥30034239.2611
          <30040752.221.691.591.10-2.31

Discussion

This study found that the prevalence of soft drink consumption among Cambodian adults was 44.73% (95%CI: 41.16–48.30). Almost one-third of adults aged 18–59 consumed soft drinks more than 3 times per week in Cambodia. The trend of soft drink consumption has rapidly increasing over a period of the last few years18, during which time the Cambodian economy has increased twofold in economic growth rates. Globally, the consumption of soft drinks is higher in upper-middle income countries (0.8 servings per person per day) compared to the lower-middle income countries (0.59 servings per day)19. The findings of the present study are consistent with findings from Malaysia showing that 53.3% of individuals consume soft drinks three times per week or more20, with similar findings also in Saudi Arabia (40%) and Nigeria (42.8%). Daily consumption has been reported in developed countries such as the USA (40%)21 and the UK (20.4%)22 and similarly in South Africa (48.3%)23. This may be related to the culture of western and European countries preferring fast food and artificially sweetened soft drinks. Furthermore, there may be a tendency towards busier lifestyles with less emphasis on making time to cook. In the present study, the factors associated with soft drink consumption were found to be gender, age, household size and income.

Gender was found to be significantly associated with soft drink consumption. Men were more likely (AOR: 1.49; 95%CI:1.10-2.00) to consume soft drinks compared to their female counterparts. This finding is consistent with a study from the USA, which revealed that men were more likely to consume soft drinks than women21. A study in Australia also found the men are 2.11 times more likely to consume soft drinks compared to women11. In the context of Cambodia, it might be that men go out to work more often, requiring more energy and undertake activities where soft drinks are often consumed in order to counteract fatigue both during and after work.

Many studies have found age to be significantly associated with soft drink consumption, and the present study’s results support this. Our finding was that 31–59-year-olds are more likely to consume soft drinks compared to 18–30-year-olds (AOR:1.93; 95%CI: 1.98-4.62). However, there are also published studies that contradict this finding11,20. The age range in the present study was 18–59-year-olds; therefore, the older age bracket (31 to 59) are likely to be in paid employment, and not yet in retirement. These individuals may be more likely to consume soft drinks to combat fatigue while working, and this may be more prevalent amongst older individuals within the subgroup.

Finally, income was found to be significantly associated with soft drink consumption. Those who earned less than US$300 per month were more likely to consume soft drinks (AOR:1.59; 95%CI: 1.10-2.31) compared to those who earned more than US$300 per month. This finding is consistent with research from Singapore showing that high and medium earners consumed less soft drinks when compared to low earners11. Conversely, a study from Australia reported that households with higher annual incomes were more likely to consume soft drinks compared to households with lower annual incomes23.

Conclusion

The prevalence of soft drink consumption in Cambodia has become a recent concern for public health. Predictive factors found in this study that are significantly associated with higher soft drink consumption are being a man, aged 31–59 years, living in a household of less than 5 individuals, and having a monthly income of less than US$300.

Based on our research findings, we recommend taking measures to reduce the frequency of soft drink consumption. All stakeholders within each ministry in Cambodia should promote and raise awareness of the impacts of soft drink consumption within the population. Specifically, the Ministry of Health should develop and launch a social marketing and intervention program focusing on reducing the consumption of soft drinks through advertising on social media, television and other means. Furthermore, the taxation of soft drinks should be considered.

Data availability

Underlying data

Figshare: Underlying Data 1, https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.12612998.v124

This project contains the following underlying data:

  • - Raw data from a survey the consumption of fast food and soft drinks in Phnom Penh municipality of Cambodia in 2019.

  • - Code book for interpreting the data

Extended data

Figshare: Extended data, https://doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.12612992.v125

This project contains the following extended data:

  • - Questionnaire in Khmer

  • - Questionnaire in English

Data are available under the terms of the Creative Commons Zero "No rights reserved" data waiver (CC0 1.0 Public domain dedication).

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Laohasiriwong W, Samphors S, Chamroen P et al. Association between socioeconomic factors and soft drink consumption among adults in Cambodia: a cross-sectional study [version 3; peer review: 1 approved with reservations]. F1000Research 2021, 9:708 (https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.24890.3)
NOTE: If applicable, it is important to ensure the information in square brackets after the title is included in all citations of this article.
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ApprovedThe paper is scientifically sound in its current form and only minor, if any, improvements are suggested
Approved with reservations A number of small changes, sometimes more significant revisions are required to address specific details and improve the papers academic merit.
Not approvedFundamental flaws in the paper seriously undermine the findings and conclusions
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Reviewer Report 17 Jun 2021
Prince Atorkey, Priority Research Centre for Health Behaviour, School of Medicine and Public Health, University of Newcastle, Callaghan, Australia 
Approved with Reservations
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The aim of this study is to examine the association between socioeconomic factors and consumption of soft drinks among adults in consumption. The prevalence of soft drink consumption was 44.73%. Factors associated with soft drink consumption were male gender, age, ... Continue reading
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Atorkey P. Reviewer Report For: Association between socioeconomic factors and soft drink consumption among adults in Cambodia: a cross-sectional study [version 3; peer review: 1 approved with reservations]. F1000Research 2021, 9:708 (https://doi.org/10.5256/f1000research.29752.r84775)
NOTE: it is important to ensure the information in square brackets after the title is included in all citations of this article.
  • Author Response 09 Aug 2021
    Samphors Sim, Graduate School, Chea Sim University of Kamchaymear, Prey Veng, Cambodia
    09 Aug 2021
    Author Response
    1. It has already been reworded.
       
    2. It has already been edited.
       
    3. It has already been added.
       
    4. We use the lottery
    ... Continue reading
COMMENTS ON THIS REPORT
  • Author Response 09 Aug 2021
    Samphors Sim, Graduate School, Chea Sim University of Kamchaymear, Prey Veng, Cambodia
    09 Aug 2021
    Author Response
    1. It has already been reworded.
       
    2. It has already been edited.
       
    3. It has already been added.
       
    4. We use the lottery
    ... Continue reading

Comments on this article Comments (0)

Version 3
VERSION 3 PUBLISHED 15 Jul 2020
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Alongside their report, reviewers assign a status to the article:
Approved - the paper is scientifically sound in its current form and only minor, if any, improvements are suggested
Approved with reservations - A number of small changes, sometimes more significant revisions are required to address specific details and improve the papers academic merit.
Not approved - fundamental flaws in the paper seriously undermine the findings and conclusions
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