1. VA Knowledge on Sugar-Sweetened beverages and alternatives
Alice Green, dietetic intern

2. Outline Background Purpose Methods John Cochran Jefferson Barracks
Results- evaluations
Discussion

3. Background: Obesity
In 2014, 78 percent of Veterans were overweight or obese.
In 2013, more than 165,000 Veterans who received their health care from the department had a BMI of 40 or greater
Obesity: complex
Obesity is a complex struggle. As well all know, veterans can suffer from many physical, mental, or emotional barriers.
It’s important to focus on one aspect
Why I chose the topic of SSB- we had materials available, it is a topic that individuals may not think about as much

4. Sugar-Sweetened Beverages
Adults in the United States consume an average of 16% of their calories as added sugars, and 46% of those are from beverages (Edmond, Patterson, Jardack, Arab, p. 603, 2014). (Murgermaster, Bhana, Fullwood, Bazuldua, & Tipton, 2016).
Studies show that participants who consume SSBs have a higher BMI on average
People are consuming these calories and may not even know it

5. Purpose Spread awareness of the amounts of sugar in beverages
Provide education on low-calorie alternatives, particularly water.

6. Methods/Materials
One booth set up at John Cochran and Jefferson Barracks
Empty drinks with bags of sugar with respective amounts
Posters of SSBs
Handouts from MOVE
Water Bottles
Evaluations
Many of these were already available
Show handouts

7. John Cochran Wednesday 9:15-11:15 Busy, high-traffic area
Reached many people who filled out the evaluation and signed up for Move
Moving Forward:
Ensure that individuals are sincerely signing up for Move
Discuss alternatives to SSBs more
Help with questions to evaluations
The location at JC is great because it is high in traffic. I was able to reach a lot of people. I even had to run up and grab more water bottles

8. Jefferson Barracks Thursday 1:00-3:00 pm Slower
Less people, but more interaction
Moving Forward:
Set up at JB in the mornings
Speak to more people, ask more people to fill out evaluations
Could use more motivational interviewing
More questions from participants
Could discuss flyers and handouts more

9. Evaluation Questions 36 total responses Pre-questions:
Why do you think drinking water is healthy?
In addition to water, what beverages do you drink in a day?
How many sugary beverages do you drink in a day?
Post-questions:
Name two benefits to drinking water
Please list two ways that you will increase water intake in the future
Please list a low-calorie beverage choice (in addition to water)
On a scale of 1-5, how confident are you that you can choose water instead of sugary drinks throughout the day?
36 total responses

10. Evaluations Common benefits to drinking water: Skin Body function
For hydration
Kidney function
Digestion
No sugar
Keeps you full

11. Sugary Drinks Reported in a Day
Number of responses
*reported*
Number of drinks

12. Please list a low-calorie beverage choice…
Question answered the least
Common answers: Pepsi-cola, Powerade, cranberry juice
Other answers: none, N/A
Number of people who correctly answered the question: 16 (44.4% of participants)
Examples of correct answers: tea with stevia, black coffee, Powerade zero, diet soda
Conclusion: more education on what exactly a low calorie beverage is, and what makes it low- calorie
People would put coffee or tea, and I counted it… but… (sugar, sweetened…?)

13. Confidence Level: one (not very), five (extremely)
On a scale of 1-5, how confident are you that you can choose water instead of sugary drinks throughout the day?
Number of responses
Confidence Level: one (not very), five (extremely)

14. Moving Foward
Many individuals surprised about amounts of sugar in beverages
Few people (44%) of individuals could correctly name a low-calorie beverage
Skewed Results:
Individuals not reading full questions
Taking survey just to receive a free bottle
Overall Conclusion: More education is needed on the consequences of sugar- sweetened beverages as well as low-calorie alternatives.

15. Discussion What went well? What didn’t?
How can we educate more people on the topic of SSBs and alternatives?

16. References
Burgermaster, M., Hiershenee, G., Fullwood, D., Bazaldua, D., & Tipton, E. (2017). Exploring the role of sugar-sweetened beverage consumption in obesity among New Yorkers using propensity score matching. Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. 117(5),
Edmond, J., Patterson, R., Jardack, P., & Arab, L. (2014). Using doubly labeled water to validate associations between sugar-sweetened beverage intake and body mass among White and African-American adults. International Journal of Obesity. 38,
U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs. (2016). VA research on obesity. Retrieved from