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Effect of Healthy Beverage Education on Water Consumption Practices among University Students in Nigeria

Abstract

Adequate water consumption is an important component of healthy living because water supports hydration, temperature regulation, digestion, circulation, and normal physiological functioning. However, university students may consume insufficient amounts of water and may frequently substitute water with sugar-sweetened beverages, energy drinks, carbonated drinks, and other commercially available beverages. Factors such as academic schedules, limited access to drinking water, cost, convenience, taste preferences, peer influence, and inadequate knowledge of healthy beverage choices may contribute to poor beverage consumption practices. Healthy beverage education provides an opportunity to improve students' knowledge of appropriate beverage choices and promote adequate water consumption. Against this background, this study investigates the effect of healthy beverage education on water consumption practices among university students in Nigeria. The study will be anchored on the Health Belief Model, Social Cognitive Theory, and Theory of Planned Behavior. The Health Belief Model explains how students' perceptions of susceptibility to dehydration and diet-related health problems, perceived severity, perceived benefits of adequate water consumption, perceived barriers, and cues to action may influence beverage practices. Social Cognitive Theory emphasizes observational learning, behavioural modelling, self-efficacy, reinforcement, and environmental influences in developing and maintaining healthy beverage behaviours. The Theory of Planned Behavior explains how students' attitudes toward water consumption, perceived social expectations, and perceived behavioural control may influence their intentions and actual beverage practices. Collectively, these theoretical perspectives provide a suitable framework for explaining how healthy beverage education may influence water consumption practices among university students in Nigeria. The study will adopt a quantitative quasi-experimental or analytical cross-sectional research design. The study population will comprise undergraduate students enrolled in selected public and private universities in Nigeria. A multistage sampling technique will be used to select geopolitical zones, states, universities, faculties, departments, academic levels, and eligible students. Healthy beverage education will be assessed using indicators such as exposure to beverage-health education sessions, frequency and duration of education, knowledge of the importance of adequate hydration, awareness of the health effects of inadequate water consumption, knowledge of healthier beverage choices, awareness of sugar content in sweetened beverages, ability to identify sugar-sweetened and energy drinks, knowledge of appropriate water sources, awareness of practical strategies for increasing water intake, and knowledge of the benefits of replacing sugary beverages with water. Water consumption practices will be assessed using indicators such as daily frequency of water consumption, estimated volume of water consumed, regularity of water intake throughout the day, carrying a personal water bottle, choosing water when purchasing beverages, consumption of water during and between meals, replacement of sugar-sweetened beverages with water, and overall consistency of adequate water consumption practices. Data will be collected using structured questionnaires, beverage knowledge assessment tools, beverage-frequency questionnaires, hydration practice instruments, and pre-test and post-test assessments where a quasi-experimental intervention is adopted. Where feasible, beverage consumption may also be assessed using 24-hour beverage recalls or beverage diaries. Descriptive statistics will be used to summarize students' demographic and academic characteristics, beverage consumption patterns, sources of beverage information, exposure to healthy beverage education, and water consumption practices. Inferential statistical techniques, including chi-square tests, t-tests, correlation analysis, and logistic or multiple regression analysis where appropriate, will be used to determine the effect of healthy beverage education on water consumption practices. Where a quasi-experimental design is adopted, water consumption practice scores before and after the educational intervention may be compared with those of a comparison group to determine changes associated with the intervention. Diagnostic tests will also be conducted to assess the reliability, validity, and robustness of the findings. The study is expected to find that healthy beverage education has a significant positive effect on water consumption practices among university students in Nigeria. Students exposed to structured and practical healthy beverage education are expected to demonstrate improved knowledge and increased water consumption compared with students without comparable exposure. Education may improve students' understanding of hydration, awareness of the health implications of excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, ability to identify healthier beverage choices, and willingness to replace unhealthy beverages with water. Practical strategies such as carrying reusable water bottles, setting reminders, identifying accessible water sources, and choosing water when purchasing beverages may further support behaviour change. However, limited availability of safe drinking water, cost of bottled water, academic schedules, taste preferences, aggressive marketing of sweetened beverages, campus food environments, and peer influence may reduce the effectiveness of education alone. The study therefore expects continuous, practical, affordable, and culturally appropriate healthy beverage education, supported by accessible and safe drinking-water facilities within university environments, to contribute significantly to improved water consumption practices among university students in Nigeria. The study is expected to contribute to the literature on hydration, beverage consumption, university student health, nutrition education, healthy dietary behaviour, sugar-sweetened beverage reduction, non-communicable disease prevention, health promotion, and public health in Nigeria. The findings will provide useful information to the Federal Ministry of Health and Social Welfare, Federal Ministry of Education, universities, student health services, nutritionists, dietitians, public health practitioners, university administrators, campus food vendors, student affairs departments, development partners, and policymakers regarding strategies for improving healthy beverage practices among university students. The study will also provide evidence-based recommendations for integrating healthy beverage education into university health-promotion programmes, improving access to safe and affordable drinking water on campuses, promoting reusable water bottles, reducing excessive consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, strengthening nutrition counselling, and developing sustainable interventions to improve water consumption practices among university students across Nigeria.

Keywords: Healthy beverage education, water consumption practices, university students, hydration, beverage consumption, nutrition education, sugar-sweetened beverages, healthy dietary behaviour, health promotion, Nigeria, public health.