Medical investigators from Ohio State University have found, that teenagers can be persuaded to cut back on sugary soft drinks — with a little help from their friends.

A 30-day "Sodabriety" challenge, piloted by OSU researchers, found the use of teen peer pressure to encourage adolescents to reduce their intake of sugar-sweetened drinks led to a significant reduction in kids' overall consumption substantially, Newsmax Health reports with reference to Medical Xpress.

It also increased by two-thirds the percentage of high-school students who shunned sugary drinks altogether.

Students were enlisted to create teen advisory councils, whose members led the interventions at two rural Appalachian high schools. They designed marketing campaigns, planned school assemblies, and shared facts about the health risks of sugar-sweetened drinks over morning announcements.

The primary message: Try to cut back on sugar-sweetened beverage — including regular soft drinks, sweet tea, fruit drinks, sports beverages, energy drinks, flavored or sweetened milk, coffee with sugar, and other coffee drinks — for 30 days.

As a result of the program, the percentage of teens who abstained from drinking sugar-sweetened beverages increased from 7.2 percent to 11.8 percent of the participants for 30 days. Nearly 190 students participated in the challenge.

"We're teaching kids to help themselves, and it's a really cost-effective way of promoting health and delivering a message," said Laureen Smith, associate professor of nursing at Ohio State and lead author of the study.