Consumption of Added Sugars by States and Factors Associated with Added Sugars Intake among US Adults in 50 States and the District of Columbia—2010 and 2015

Purpose: The high intake of added sugars from foods or beverages increases the risk of obesity, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and cardiovascular disease. Because state-level data are lacking, we estimated dietary intake of added sugars by state and factors associated with intake among US adults. Design: Nationally representative, cross-sectional, in-person, household survey. Setting: 50 states and DC. Sample: 52,279 US adults from pooled data from 2010 and 2015 National Health Interview Surveys. Measures: Estimated total added sugars intake (tsp/day) using the National Cancer Institute’s scoring algorithm that converts responses from the Dietary Survey Questionnaire screener to estimated total added sugars intake (tsp/day). Analysis: Mean dietary-added sugars intake estimates and standard error were calculated for adults’ characteristics and by state for all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Differences by adult’s characteristics were assessed by pairwise t-tests (p < 0.05). All analyses accounted for complex survey design and sampling weights. Results: Overall, US adults consumed 17.0 tsp of added sugars/day (range: 14.8 tsp/day in Alaska to 1.2 tsp/day in Kentucky). Added sugars intake varied by states and sociodemographic characteristics. Conclusion: Findings may inform efforts to reduce added sugars intake to lower the high burden of chronic disease.