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Soda Consumption - Youth in United States
United States
Explore national- and state-level data for hundreds of health, environmental and socioeconomic measures, including background information about each measure. Use features on this page to find measures; view subpopulations, trends and rankings; and download and share content.
United States Value:
8.5%
Percentage of high school students who reported drinking a can, bottle or glass of soda or pop two or more times per day in the past week
Soda Consumption - Youth by State
Percentage of high school students who reported drinking a can, bottle or glass of soda or pop two or more times per day in the past week
Soda Consumption - Youth in
Data from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Adolescent and School Health, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2021
<= 6.7%
6.8% - 7.4%
7.5% - 10.2%
10.3% - 12.4%
>= 12.5%
No Data
Soda Consumption - Youth
- U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Adolescent and School Health, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2021
About Soda Consumption - Youth
US Value: 8.5%
Top State(s): Idaho: 4.4%
Bottom State(s): West Virginia: 22.5%
Definition: Percentage of high school students who reported drinking a can, bottle or glass of soda or pop two or more times per day in the past week
Data Source and Years(s): U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Adolescent and School Health, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, 2021
Suggested Citation: America's Health Rankings analysis of U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, Division of Adolescent and School Health, Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance System, United Health Foundation, AmericasHealthRankings.org, accessed 2025.
Reducing sugary drink consumption is a public health concern worldwide. Soda has little to no nutritional value and is associated with many adverse health outcomes. An 8-ounce serving of carbonated soda contains about 24-30 grams of added sugar, more than half of an entire day’s recommended sugar intake.
Regular consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages has been linked to increased risk of multiple diseases, including obesity, tooth decay, stroke, cardiovascular disease, cancer and Type 2 diabetes.
Recent research has found that frequent soda consumption is associated with aggressive behavior among early adolescents. Similar findings from a 2013 study of 5-year-olds also linked soda consumption to aggression, as well as withdrawn behaviors and attention issues.
Sugar-sweetened beverage consumption is higher among:
- Teenage boys compared with teenage girls.
- American Indian/Alaska Native, Hawaiian/Pacific Islander, white, Black, Hispanic and multiracial children compared with Asian children.
Reducing sugar-sweetened beverage consumption among youth requires a multipronged approach involving families, schools and communities. Examples of strategies include:
- Implementing the Smart Snacks in School program, which sets a national nutrition requirement for all snacks sold in schools and includes limits on sugar.
- Introducing legislative limits on portion sizes for sugar-sweetened beverages.
- Regulating marketing and advertisements for soda and sugar-sweetened beverages in school zones. According to one study, students in school districts with restrictions on soda products and advertisements had decreased odds of consuming soda regularly.
- Another study showed that increased access to drinking water in schools can decrease soda consumption.
- Limiting marketing that targets children via social media, computers, television and video games.
- Implementing a sugar-sweetened beverage tax and advertisement warning labels addressing the health-related costs of added sugar. According to a recent study, purchases of such beverages declined after price increases from implementing taxes.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers several tips for breaking soda drinking habits and making healthier beverage choices.
Healthy People 2030 has a goal to reduce the consumption of calories from added sugars by people ages two and older.
Bernstein, Adam M., Lawrence de Koning, Alan J. Flint, Kathryn M. Rexrode, and Walter C. Willett. “Soda Consumption and the Risk of Stroke in Men and Women.” The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 95, no. 5 (May 1, 2012): 1190–99. https://doi.org/10.3945/ajcn.111.030205.
Chazelas, Eloi, Bernard Srour, Elisa Desmetz, Emmanuelle Kesse-Guyot, Chantal Julia, Valérie Deschamps, Nathalie Druesne-Pecollo, et al. “Sugary Drink Consumption and Risk of Cancer: Results from NutriNet-Santé Prospective Cohort.” BMJ 366 (July 10, 2019). https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.l2408.
Kaplan, Scott, Justin S. White, Kristine A. Madsen, Sanjay Basu, Sofia B. Villas-Boas, and Dean Schillinger. “Evaluation of Changes in Prices and Purchases Following Implementation of Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Taxes Across the US.” JAMA Health Forum 5, no. 1 (January 5, 2024): e234737. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamahealthforum.2023.4737.
Merlo, Caitlin L., Sherry Everett Jones, Shannon L. Michael, Tiffany J. Chen, Sarah A. Sliwa, Seung Hee Lee, Nancy D. Brener, Sarah M. Lee, and Sohyun Park. “Dietary and Physical Activity Behaviors Among High School Students — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2019.” MMWR Supplements 69, no. 1 (August 21, 2020): 64–76. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su6901a8.
Merlo, Caitlin, Brianna L. Smarsh, and Xiangxue Xiao. “School Nutrition Environment and Services: Policies and Practices That Promote Healthy Eating Among K-12 Students.” Journal of School Health 93, no. 9 (September 2023): 762–77. https://doi.org/10.1111/josh.13365.
Michael, Shannon L., Sherry Everett Jones, Caitlin L. Merlo, Sarah A. Sliwa, Sarah M. Lee, Kelly Cornett, Nancy D. Brener, Tiffany J. Chen, Carmen L. Ashley, and Sohyun Park. “Dietary and Physical Activity Behaviors in 2021 and Changes from 2019 to 2021 Among High School Students — Youth Risk Behavior Survey, United States, 2021.” MMWR Supplements 72, no. 1 (April 28, 2023): 75–83. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.su7201a9.
Miller, Gabrielle F., Sarah Sliwa, Nancy D. Brener, Sohyun Park, and Caitlin L. Merlo. “School District Policies and Adolescents’ Soda Consumption.” Journal of Adolescent Health 59, no. 1 (July 1, 2016): 17–23. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2016.02.003.
Miller, Gabrielle, Caitlin Merlo, Zewditu Demissie, Sarah Sliwa, and Sohyun Park. “Trends in Beverage Consumption Among High School Students — United States, 2007–2015.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 66, no. 4 (February 3, 2017): 112–16. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm6604a5.
Mrug, Sylvie, LaRita C. Jones, Marc N. Elliott, Susan R. Tortolero, Melissa F. Peskin, and Mark A. Schuster. “Soft Drink Consumption and Mental Health in Adolescents: A Longitudinal Examination.” Journal of Adolescent Health 68, no. 1 (July 4, 2020): 155–60. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jadohealth.2020.05.034.
Muth, Natalie D., William H. Dietz, Sheela N. Magge, Rachel K. Johnson, Christopher F. Bolling, Sarah C. Armstrong, Matthew Allen Haemer, et al. “Public Policies to Reduce Sugary Drink Consumption in Children and Adolescents.” Pediatrics 143, no. 4 (April 1, 2019): e20190282. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2019-0282.
Roberto, Christina A., and Jennifer L. Pomeranz. “Public Health and Legal Arguments in Favor of a Policy to Cap the Portion Sizes of Sugar-Sweetened Beverages.” American Journal of Public Health 105, no. 11 (November 2015): 2183–90. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2015.302862.
Singh, Gitanjali M. “Soda Consumption Among Adolescents: Implications for Low- and Middle-Income Countries.” American Journal of Public Health 107, no. 7 (July 1, 2017): 1025–27. https://doi.org/10.2105/AJPH.2017.303855.
Suglia, Shakira F., Sara Solnick, and David Hemenway. “Soft Drinks Consumption Is Associated with Behavior Problems in 5-Year-Olds.” The Journal of Pediatrics 163, no. 5 (November 2013): 1323–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpeds.2013.06.023.
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