Sugary Drink Consumption, Cognitive Functioning, and Academic Performance: Implications for Social Work Practice among Undergraduates in Babcock University

Over the years, sugary drink consumption, which is the intake of drinks such as sodas, sweetened teas, and energy drinks, has significantly increased. In fact, it has been discovered that the frequency of consuming sugary drinks as increased among students, and this pattern follows the dietary pattern of the Western world. This consumption has been characterized by drinks that have high sugar content and calories, without essential nutrients, with various health consequences, even impacting the academic performance of students. The study adopted the Health Belief Model to explain the behaviour of students in terms of sugary beverage consumption. The study adopted a descriptive, correlational research design, and data were collected through administered questionnaire copies. Cluster sampling was used to select 219 respondents from the undergraduate population in Babcock University. The data was descriptively analyzed and the results were presented in tables, charts, frequencies and percentages. The findings revealed that sugary drink consumption positively predicted poor dietary habits (β=0.742, R²=0.432, t=12.851, p<0.001), poor cognitive function (β=0.890, R²=0.486, t=14.337, p<0.001), and poor academic performance (β=0.914, R²=0.516, t=15.223, p<0.001), thus all null hypotheses were rejected. Hence, the study concluded that sugary drink consumption reduces cognitive function and academic performance of undergraduates. The study recommends that there is a need for integrated social work interventions to sensitize undergraduates on the impact of high sugar drinks consumption.