Table 3. Key themes, concepts and quotes from adolescent and parent focus groups*

Sugary drinks Small Screen Recreation Adolescents Parents Adolescents Parents Theme Behavior Soft drinks allowed as Soft drinks allowed as a treat Part of daily life: Part of daily life: patterns a treat or on special for weekends or special “I guess screen ”Every day, all day.” occasions; whereas occasions; whereas juice and activities are [Mother] juice and flavoured flavoured milk drinks everywhere there is milk drinks consumed consumed more regularly: always a screen or Adolescents engage in more regularly: If we’ve got people over then something around you SSR mostly for “We’re only really the soft drink comes out. If can watch something communication and allowed to have it there’s a whole bunch of kids on.” …” [Female] homework: [cordial or sweetened over on the weekend then “As soon as my concentrate] when it’s there’s cordial and maybe one Variation of uses, but daughter comes home an occasion or when bottle of soft drink. mainly for leisure and from school she’s on someone comes over.” communication: there chat-chat-chatting [Female] “When I come home to her friends.” that’s my ‘don’t talk to me, I’m on the internet time, wind-down time” [Female] Attitudes, Taste, caffeine and Concerns mostly about Few concerns: Wide range of concerns, beliefs and sugar content of soft sugar, dental health, “No, I don’t care. We particularly relating to concerns drinks hold strong caffeine, acidity. Weight are kids.” [Male] social interaction: appeal: rarely mentioned: “It makes them anti- “[Water’s] just so I know that the juices have social. They don’t have- boring. Like with all the got sugar in them even if Inevitability of SSR as if you don’t push them new inventions of they say they’re 100% juice part of life: away from it in some drinks and new mixes but I do encourage – “I guess screen way shape or form, they you can make and because I get it cheaper I activities are are going to end up with Sugary drinks Small Screen Recreation Adolescents Parents Adolescents Parents Theme stuff, it just seems so encourage the boys to have everywhere, like very little social skills bland.” [Female] it because they don’t eat they’re really hard to that they really need.” much fresh fruit and so I get away from…” Concerned largely figure it’s better – I’m trying But SSR inevitable part about the present, to believe that they’re getting Adolescents cannot be of home life and society some weight-related their other vitamins through relied on to moderate in general: concerns: the juice.” screen-time: “Every child has got a “Well if you drink too “I usually stretch my Playstation or an X-Box much – like I like Concerned about the future time on the computer or a Nintendo or a this or playing sport, but if “ I don’t think my kids would and I get in trouble a a that…” you drink too much buy the logic, they don’t think lot, they won’t let me [Mother] fatty drinks or sugary that far down the track. They finish the game, we drinks, you’ll get unfit think they just want that now.” have arguments like Adolescents cannot be and fat.” [Female] that.” [Male] relied on to moderate screen-time: Concerns about “He’ll play it all day if he artificially-sweetened could. If I’m not there. If drinks: I’m there I’ll regulate it "Coke is better than and say ‘get off’ but if Diet Coke, because to I’m not there he’ll play X- make sure there is no box all day.” sugar, it's got all chemical stuff in it, you will get sick and die.” [Male] Adolescents cannot be relied on to moderate intake: Cannot be relied on to “You’re talking teenagers, moderate own soft it’s not a case of – well, I Sugary drinks Small Screen Recreation Adolescents Parents Adolescents Parents Theme drink intake: can’t say it’s only for Friday “If I was allowed to nights but we can sit and drink Coke all day, I look at it in the fridge for the probably would." whole week, it’s not going to [Male] happen.” Adolescent- Low levels of family Low levels of family conflict. Often conflictual Often conflictual parent conflict. No rules set, No rules set, or rules are interactions: interactions: interactions or rules are disregarded: “They just keep “I sat him down and disregarded: "It amuses me though they go repeating it like started speaking slowly “Well they might say to get a drink and you've got constantly and I’ll get and nicely till it just got maybe stop drinking to just remind them ….'just annoyed and just get to the point where I was sugary drinks, not like have a drink of water' and so off.” [Female] just screaming my head you’ve got to stop, they will have it quite happily, off saying ‘you don’t do more like you should but you have to remind them" Emphasis on non- this in our house….” stop.” compliance by “ Yes, when we go out for a adolescents: Emphasis on non- “Yeah. I have the meal she’ll always have a soft “Probably would be compliance by Red Bull and the V drink rather than juice. I able to hack your way adolescents: stuff because I’m not always try and encourage her back through or “Mine just ignore me…” allowed to...that’s why to have juice but she’ll always something or my I have them.” [Female] order a Coke.” friend could” [Male]

A need for parental A need for parental role- role-modelling: modelling: They can’t complain “ “My husband seems to think about me because that if he doesn’t drink Coke they drink more than after a meal he can’t digest me” [Male] his food. Of course the boys Sugary drinks Small Screen Recreation Adolescents Parents Adolescents Parents Theme think if dad thinks that we’ll have some Coke too, Mum.”

Strategies Controlling drink Controlling drink availability – Restricting time Restricting time the most for behavior availability – focus focus on the home: “I think like having a common rule change outside of home: “ The majority of the time TV-free day or “It’s because it’s they’re home – I know they’re something” [Female] “I give XXX one to two always there, like in at school but it’s what you do hours on the computer every shop there’s the majority of the time that Limiting availability: and after that then he always something counts.” “Turn off all in the has to get off and do there that you might internet access” [Male] something else.” want, that you Having alternatives – focus shouldn’t have but you on water: “We made a rule at our want it so you get it Suggesting place, no TVs in “Constant cold water in the anyway.” [Female] fridge” alternatives: anyone’s bedroom…” “Get involved in [Mixed parent] Having alternatives – physical activities, join focus on taste: an activity club” [Male] Suggesting alternatives: “If they made it like “Encouraging them to soda water, if it had do something positive like artificial sugar stuff with you, like going out in it and it would taste to dinner or the beach or good, then it would be something they like better.” [Male] doing.” Sugary drinks Small Screen Recreation Adolescents Parents Adolescents Parents Theme SSR Not applicable Minimal awareness Minimal awareness and Guidelines and dismissal of dismissal of guideline as guideline as not being not being realistic: acceptable to “No I haven’t heard that adolescents: there’s such a “There probably is but guideline..” no one is going to follow them anyway.” “If I said that to my [Male] young lad he’d laugh at me” * Direct quotes in italics