Date of Award

5-2026

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Science in Nutrition Science

Department

Health Science and Human Ecology

First Reader/Committee Chair

Malik, Neal

Abstract

Title: Associations Between Water Intake, Dietary Quality, and Beverage Consumption Among University Students

Background and Aims: Sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) and ultra-processed food (UPF) consumption significantly contribute to chronic disease risk and is often more common in underserved and racially/ethnically diverse communities. Drinking water is a low-cost, calorie-free behavior that may support healthier beverage and dietary patterns. Previous studies show that increased daily water consumption positively correlates with better diet quality and is inversely correlated with SSB and UPF consumption. This study aims to examine whether (1) increased daily water intake is associated with self-reported diet quality and (2) self-reported hydration status is associated with the frequency of SSB and UPF consumption among students at a predominantly Hispanic-serving institution (HSI) in Southern California.

Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted using an anonymous online survey administered via Google Forms. Eligible participants included currently enrolled undergraduate, graduate, and doctoral students ≥18 years, recruited through the university’s mass email system. Survey questions assessed daily water intake, beverage choices (including SSB frequency), self-reported hydration status, diet-related behaviors, and demographics (e.g., age, ethnicity). Data was exported to the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences version 30 (SPSS v. 30) for analysis.

Results: A total of 157 participants submitted survey responses, a majority of which identified as female [120 (76.4%)]. A Pearson correlation was conducted to assess the relationship between plain water intake and servings of healthy foods consumed on a typical day. Results indicated a weak, positive correlation between water intake and vegetable consumption that was statistically significant (r = .222, p = .010). Additionally, Pearson correlation analyses indicated that there were no statistically significant relationships between plain water intake and the frequency of UPF consumption variables examined. A Pearson correlation was also conducted to assess the relationships between self-reported overall hydration status and frequency of SSB consumption, amount of SSB consumed each time, and frequency of UPF consumption in the past week. Results indicated a weak, positive correlation between self-reported hydration status and the amount of regular soft drink consumed each time (r = .175, p = .034).

Conclusion: This study found limited but meaningful evidence that hydration-related behaviors are associated with certain dietary behaviors among university students. The associations between both daily water intake and vegetable consumption and increased regular soft drink consumption and better self-reported hydration status were positively correlated, although the relationships were weak. However, most other relationships between hydration, UPF intake, and SSB intake were not statistically significant. These findings suggest that water intake may be linked to certain healthier dietary behaviors, but it did not strongly correlate with dietary quality in this sample.

Download

  Contact Author

Share

COinS