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Articles

CJOC: VOL. 13 NO. 2, DECEMBER 2025

Effect of Social Media Advocacy against Excessive Sugar Intakes on Knowledge and Belief of Health Risks, and Consumption of Sugar Sweetened Beverages among University Students

Submitted
February 11, 2026
Published
2025-12-31

Abstract

This article examined the effect of social media reduction of sugar intakes campaigns on consumption of soda drinks among university undergraduate students in Federal University, Oye-Ekiti. The objectives include; to determine the level of students’ exposure to social media campaigns against excessive sugar intakes via consumption of SSBs, assess the level of knowledge of health risks associated with consumption of SSBs, find out students’ belief regarding the health risks associated with consumption of SSBs, and examine the level of SSBs consumption among the university students. The study employed a cross-sectional survey method, using an online questionnaire as instrument for data collection. The instrument was shared to identified social media platforms used by students in 13 faculties in Federal University, Oye-Ekiti. Purposive sampling method was employed in selecting the first 30 responses submitted from each faculty for analysis. The results showed high level of exposure to social media campaigns against excessive sugar intake, especially through the Facebook platform, but many respondents seldom read the text or watch the videos to the end. As a result, there is poor knowledge and negative beliefs about the health implications of sugar sweetened beverages consumption among the sampled respondents. However, the results of the inferential statistics suggest statistically significant relationships between exposure to social media campaigns against excessive sugar intakes and students’ knowledge and belief of the associated health risks, and consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages at p<0.05. Based on the  findings, the study concludes that social media can serve as viable platforms for the campaign for low sugar consumption among young people. Thus, the study recommended that social media content creators should encourage followers to read or watch posts on reduction of sugar intakes to the end to boost understanding and informed decision making. Healthcare workers should leverage the social media platforms to provide more information on the health implications of excessive sugar intakes. Social media influencers and patients could share personal experiences to promote positive beliefs about the health implications of excessive soda consumption, and university management should implement intervention polices such as partial restriction or outright ban on sugar-sweetened beverages exceeding the  recommended average per bottle, and promote healthier alternatives to sugar-sweetened drinks in university campuses.