Research from the Cancer Council of Victoria on how many adults were drinking sugary drinks daily gave the state average as 11.2 per cent.

Horsham results were 14.4 per cent, Ararat 14, West Wimmera was 12.6, Yarriambiack 20.2 and Northern Grampians 17.9 per cent.

A Cancer Council spokesperson said that in Horsham this equated to one in seven adults drinking a 375ml can of sugary drink per day which added up to 14.6kg of sugar per year.

East Grampians Health Service dietitian and health promotions officer Rachael Cooper, at Ararat, said the service removed all sugar sweetened beverages (SSB) from the hospital café and vending machines in 2016 to set an example to the community.

She said choosing water when buying take-away meals with a drink option, carrying your own water bottle and checking contents of ‘healthy’ drinks were some general tips for swapping SSBs.

Tips for parents included taking enough water for everyone on outings, making sure everyone filled up their water bottles before going out, check fruit juices for added sugar, serve plain milk, and talk to schools about any choices of drinks they were offering that contained sugar.

“EGHS will be working on a number of initiatives over the next few years to reduce the promotion and consumption of sugary drinks and improve the health of the local community,” Ms Cooper said.

The Cancer Council spokesperson said a 600ml bottle of soft drink could contain up to 16 teaspoons of sugar with no nutritional value.

This was nearly three times the recommended amount by the World Health Organisation of six teaspoons per day.

Studies have indicated that extra sugar can increase fat stored in the body and this excess fat can lead to diseases such as cancer, diabetes and heart problems.

With a study by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare done between January 2012 and December 2016 showing that people in regional Australia were 25 per cent more likely to suffer from coronary heart disease and 40 per cent more likely to die from diabetes, cutting back on sugary drinks could be an easy step to better health outcomes.

A ‘Community Needs Analysis’ study in 2013 released by Grampians Medicare Local indicated at the time that 49.6 per cent of people over 18 in the Wimmera had at least one cardiovascular disease risk factor.

Horsham also had the highest rate of Statistical Local Government areas for type two diabetes.

In a LiveLighter campaign also promoting cutting back of sugary drinks, flavoured milk was targeted.

The campaign gave a breakdown of how much sugar was in most of the flavoured milks and many had up to nine teaspoons.

Campaign manager and registered dietitian Alison McAleese said: “You would never add nine teaspoons of sugar to milk yourself, so understanding the huge sugar content of these drinks should come as a wake-up call to consumers and help with changing habits.”

Plain milk contained many nutrients for good health but adding large amounts of sugar could impact on health.

The Cancer Council Victoria spokesperson said they were pushing awareness of the potential damage to health created by regular sugary drink consumption through a competition and then a campaign.

The competition asks people who have cut their sugary drink consumption to enter and tell their success story.

Winners get two weeks of fresh fruit and vegetables and can share their success stories to inspire others through the awareness campaign.

For more information go to www.cancervic.org.au/sugarydrinkswappers

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