Knowledge, attitude, and practice regarding sugar-sweetened beverages among undergraduate students in Kuantan: a cross-sectional study

Introduction: High consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) among undergraduate students can lead to adverse health outcomes. Understanding their knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) towards SSBs is essential for designing effective health interventions. This study aims to assess KAP regarding SSBs among undergraduate students at a public university in Kuantan, Malaysia, and identify associated factors. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted with 300 undergraduate students through convenience sampling, using an online questionnaire to collect sociodemographic information and KAP data on SSB consumption. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 30 with descriptive statistics and several tests to identify associations. Results: Findings indicate that the majority of participants displayed high knowledge (80.7%) and positive attitudes (99.7%) towards SSBs, but 62.7% demonstrated poor consumption practices. The binary logistic regression analysis revealed higher SSB intake is significantly associated with poorer consumption practices (OR: 0.459, p<0.001). Poor practice indicates infrequent consideration of sugar or calorie content in SSB choices and a tendency for higher SSB consumption in various situations. Moreover, a weak but statistically significant correlation was noted between knowledge and practice (r = 0.154, p = 0.008), suggesting that high knowledge does not lead to healthier practices. Conclusion: This study highlights the gap between knowledge and practice, providing key insights for future research and interventions aimed at promoting healthier behaviors in this demographic. Future studies should explore factors contributing to this disparity and strategies for sustainable behavior change.