Assessment of carbonated and healthy drinks consumption pattern among undergraduates in Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile- Ife, Osun State

Abstract

The study assessed carbonated and healthy drinks consumption pattern of the undergraduate students of Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), IIe –  Ife, Nigeria. Random sampling technique was employed in this study. The study relied on primary data which was collected through questionnaires. Data collected were analyzed using mean and percentages. The total number of respondents was 260 undergraduate students, which comprised 102 males and 158 females. Majority (47.3%) of the respondents were between 17 – 20 years old and were single. It was indicated that majority (49.6%) of the respondents has less than N10,000 as income level from their monthly stipend. The result indicated that the carbonated drinks that the students consume the most were Fanta and Coke. Majority (38.5%) of the respondents consume fruit smoothies while they sometimes (38.8%) consume zobo drink. The result also reveals that zobo drink has the highest percentage (76.2%) of consumption than other healthy drinks. The major factors influencing healthy drinks consumption based on individual perceptions were taste (40.4%), price (38.9%), preferences (36.2%), and  nutritional benefit (35.0%) while price (36.5%), taste (35.8%), preferences (33.5%) and availability on campus (31.5%) were the major factors influencing carbonated drinks consumption based on individual perceptions. It is therefore recommended that the Federal and State Government should ensure proper health education of undergraduates regarding the nutritional benefits of healthy drinks as well as the adverse effects of  carbonated drinks.

Keywords: carbonated drinks, healthy drinks, consumption pattern, Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU)