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Objective: To examine changes in the proportions of daily, weekly and occasional consumers of sugar-sweetened soda in six European countries that introduced/updated a tax between 2001-2002 and 2017-2018 and in neighbouring comparison countries (without a tax).Design: Repeated cross-sectional surveys.Setting: Health Behaviour in School-aged Children study, spanning five survey years (school years 2001-2002 to 2017-2018).Participants: Nationally representative samples of 13-year- and 15-year-old adolescents (n 236 623, 51·0 % girls).Results: Tax sizes (€0·02/l to €0·22/l) and pre-tax soda consumption were heterogeneous across countries. Prevalence of daily soda consumption reduced in the survey year following tax implementation in Latvia (from 17·9 to 11·9 %, P = 0·01), Finland (4·2 to 2·5 %, P = 0·001), Belgium (35·1 to 27·8 %, P < 0·001) and Portugal (17·4 to 14·9 %, P = 0·02), but not in Hungary (29·8 to 31·3 %, P = 0·47) or France (29·4 to 28·2 %, P = 0·27). However, reductions were similar (Finland) or smaller (Belgium, Portugal) than those in the comparison countries, except in Latvia where the reduction was larger (Pinteraction < 0·001). Prevalence of weekly soda consumption remained stable (Finland, Hungary and France) or increased (Latvia, Belgium); only Portugal experienced a decline (P < 0·001), which was larger than in the comparison country (Pinteraction < 0·001). Prevalence of occasional soda consumption (<1x/week) did not rise after implementation of the tax in Latvia, Finland, Hungary, France or Belgium, or the rise was similar to the comparison country in Portugal (Pinteraction = 0·15).Conclusions: Countries with a soda tax did not experience larger beneficial changes in post-tax adolescent consumption frequency of soda than comparison countries. Further studies, with different taxation types, are needed in the adolescent population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: During adolescence, while the body is still in development, alcohol consumption can cause irreversible damages. Well-being and family, social and school environment may influence alcohol consumption among adolescents. According to their gender, they may be more or less receptive to some of these influences. Our aim was to identify potential gender differences in the correlates of alcohol consumption in early adolescence. Methods: Analyses were based on 4,714 10–14-year-old adolescents attending schools in Wallonia, and included in the 2014 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) cross-sectional survey. Information were collected through self-administered questionnaires. Alcohol consumption was defined as having drunk at least one day during the last 30 days before the survey. Gender-stratified associations were estimated using multivariable logistic regressions. Results: Twenty percent of 10–14-year-old adolescents (boys: 21.6%; girls: 18.0%) reported having consumed alcohol during the past month. After adjustment, associations with age, frequency of contacts via social networks and frequency of outings with friends after class hours, were similar in both genders. Adolescents aged 13–14 years (vs. 10–12 years), those who communicated at least every week via social networks (vs. less than once a week) and those who met their friends at least once after class hours (vs. less than once a week) were more likely to consume alcohol. Boys' and girls' 2nd-generation migrants and boys' 1st-generation migrants (vs. natives) were less likely to have consumed alcohol in the past month. Furthermore, boys and girls with "low" Family Affluence Scale (FAS) and boys from "medium" FAS (vs. "high") were less likely to have consumed alcohol. In boys only, school satisfaction was significantly associated with alcohol consumption during the past month (vs. those who liked school a lot: those who liked school a bit (OR = 1.88 [1.13–0.84]) or did not like school very much (OR = 2.20 [1.32–3.66]) or did not like school at all (OR = 2.91 [1.69–5.02]). In girls, family status (vs. two-parent families: stepfamilies (OR = 1.43 [1.05–1.95])) and life satisfaction (vs. "high": "low" (OR = 1.63 [1.19–2.26])) were significantly associated with alcohol consumption. Conclusion: Although both genders share common risk factors (age, peer relationships, migration status and socioeconomic status), some differences have been highlighted. In boys only, school satisfaction was inversely associated with alcohol consumption. High life satisfaction and living in two-parent families seemed to play a protective role in girls only. These results should help better identify adolescents to be targeted in campaigns preventing early alcohol consumption. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Over the past decade, energy drinks (ED) have become increasingly popular among adolescents. Due to their high content in caffeine, sugar and other energy-promoting components, frequent ED consumption may have adverse health effects, like cardiovascular symptoms, sleep impairment, and nervousness. Previous studies have shown that ED consumption was more frequent among males. To extend this knowledge, our analysis examined how sociodemographic and lifestyle determinants of frequent ED consumption may differ by gender among Belgian adolescents. This study was based on data self-reported by 9,119 12–19 year-old French-speaking Belgian adolescents in secondary school, within the 2014 cross-sectional Health Behaviour in School-Aged Children survey. Pupils reporting they usually consumed ED once a day or more were considered as "high ED consumers". Sociodemographic and lifestyle characteristics were described in relation to ED consumption, for boys and girls separately. We used multiple logistic regression models, stratified by gender, to assess the associations between the sociodemographic and lifestyle variables, with high ED consumption. Daily ED consumption was reported by 7.9% of boys and 4.6% of girls. In both genders, the proportion of high ED consumers was significantly higher among adolescents of grades 1–3, those of lower family affluence, in first- and second-generation immigrants, those watching TV more than 6 hours/day, those reporting later bedtimes, and those consuming soft drinks daily. In girls only, higher percentages were observed in girls from single- (7.6%) or blended-families (5.2%), than in girls from two-parent families (3.5%). In boys only, this percentage was higher among adolescents meeting physical activity recommendations (14.5% vs 6.5%). Multivariate analyses showed that high ED consumption was associated with lower grades, long screen time, later bedtimes, and daily soft drink consumption in both genders. In girls only, adolescents from single-parent families were more likely to consume ED daily (OR 1.70; 95% CI 1.23–2.37) (vs. two-parent families). In boys only, first-generation immigrants (OR 1.53; 95% CI 1.06–2.21) (vs. natives) and youth sufficiently physically active (OR 2.19; 95% CI 1.65–2.90) were more likely to consume ED daily. High ED consumption was more frequent among boys and showed gender-specific patterns, with associations with family structure in girls only, and with migration status and physical activity in boys only. Our findings provide evidence about patterns of high ED consumption among adolescents and should be used to inform the development of prevention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]