Table 4.

Favorable responses to sugary drink cessation reported during qualitative interviews with participants and their parents; n = 30 participants.

Theme Subtheme	Representative Quotations Child	Parent
Improved sleep	“I slept better. That was different. I slept good. Honestly, I feel like not having any sugary drinks made me like sleep better because most of the time I have a hard time sleeping, but I slept really good”.	“Sleep-wise when I tell them it’s time to go to sleep, they go right to sleep. They wake up more easily in the morning”.
Increased energy	“I’ve been really energetic the last few days”. “And I found it pretty easy to wake up with just like, water and my normal breakfast”.	“I think he had a little more energy, he’s usually pretty lethargic when he’s doing his home studies, but he seemed a little more alert”.
Improved mood
Feeling happier	“I felt really, really, really happy”.	“They were not as cranky, grumpy-ish. Just I mean they seemed happier”.
Less irritable	“I wasn’t as irritated as I usually am. I wasn’t as aggressive as I usually am”.	“She’s been pleasant enough to be around. So, I don’t think it’s been a negative–I don’t think it’s been a negative thing at all”.
Less arguing	None	“There wasn’t all that sibling arguing and bickering that I would hear. They just seemed to get along a whole lot better”.
Calmer	“When I drank water, I was calmer and I wasn’t that hype”.	“She was a little calmer–not much calmer, but a little”.
Physical benefits
Weight loss	“I’ve been losing weight”.	None
Clearer skin	“My skin was getting a little clearer”.	“I did notice her skin was like much clearer over these three days of just not having any of those [sugary drinks]”.
Cleaner teeth	“Our teeth are much cleaner”.
Feeling better	“I felt a little bit better. I was kind of glad to change my diet up a little bit and drink a lot more water”.	“As the days went on, he started feeling better”.