Dataset Information

An Online Survey on Consumer Knowledge and Understanding of Added Sugars.

ABSTRACT: Evidence of an association between added sugars (AS) and the risk of obesity has triggered public health bodies to develop strategies enabling consumers to manage their AS intake. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has strongly recommended a reduction of free sugars to 10% of total dietary energy (TE) and conditionally recommended a reduction to 5% TE to achieve health benefits. Despite food labelling being a policy tool of choice in many countries, there is no consensus on the mandatory addition of AS to the nutrition panel of food labels. An online survey was conducted to explore consumer ability to identify AS on food labels and to investigate consumer awareness of the WHO guidelines in relation to sugar intakes. The questionnaire was tested for participant comprehension using face-to-face interviews prior to conducting the online study. The online survey was conducted in Northern Ireland during May 2015 and was completed by a convenient sample of 445 subjects. Results showed that just 4% of respondents correctly classified 10 or more ingredients from a presented list of 13 items, while 65% of participants were unaware of the WHO guidelines for sugar intake. It may be timely to reopen dialogue on inclusion of AS on food product nutrition panels.

SUBMITTER: Tierney M

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5295081 | biostudies-other | 2017 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-other

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An Online Survey on Consumer Knowledge and Understanding of Added Sugars.

Tierney Mary M Gallagher Alison M AM Giotis Efstathios S ES Pentieva Kristina K

Nutrients 20170105 1

Evidence of an association between added sugars (AS) and the risk of obesity has triggered public health bodies to develop strategies enabling consumers to manage their AS intake. The World Health Organisation (WHO) has strongly recommended a reduction of free sugars to 10% of total dietary energy (TE) and conditionally recommended a reduction to 5% TE to achieve health benefits. Despite food labelling being a policy tool of choice in many countries, there is no consensus on the mandatory additi ...[more]

PMID: 28067763

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Project description:BackgroundResearch has shown that early exposure to added sugars from table food is related to increased intake of added sugars in later childhood. The earliest window of exposure to added sugars may be in infancy via infant formula. However, beyond the well-established factors of maternal lifestyle and modeling, there is a lack of research examining how exposure to added sugars from infant formula influences infant/toddler added sugar intakes from table foods and sugar sweetened beverages (SSB).ObjectiveWhile accounting factors previously associated with infant/toddler added sugar intakes and maternal SSB consumption (proximal measure of maternal modeling), this study aims to examine if there is an association between added sugars in infant formula and added sugar intakes from table foods and SSB during the complementary feeding period.MethodsThis is a secondary, cross-sectional analysis using three-day caregiver-reported 24-h dietary recalls in a cohort of infant/toddlers (n = 95), ages 9- < 16 mos., enrolled in a music intervention trial. Hierarchical stepwise regression was used to estimate the association between exposure to added sugars from infant formula and (1) intake of added sugars from table food and (2) SSB consumption. Infant/toddler SSB consumption was transformed to account for distributional properties. We performed incremental F-tests to determine whether the addition of each step improved model fit (R2).ResultsEarly exposure to added sugars via infant formula was associated with infant/toddler SSB (ΔR2 = 0.044, Finc (1, 87) =6.009, p = 0.016) beyond sociodemographic and maternal SSB consumption, but not with infant/toddler added sugar intakes from table foods (ΔR2 = 0.02, Finc (1, 87) =3.308, p = 0.072).ConclusionWhile past studies have identified circumstantial (i.e., sociodemographic), or indirect (i.e., maternal lifestyle and modeling), mechanisms contributing to higher infant/toddler added sugar intakes, this study identifies exposure to added sugars from infant formula as a possible direct mechanism explaining why some infants/toddlers consume more added sugars.

Project description:BackgroundLimited information is available on added sugars consumption in US infants and toddlers.ObjectivesTo present national estimates of added sugars intake among US infants and toddlers by sociodemographic characteristics, to identify top sources of added sugars, and to examine trends in added sugars intake.DesignCross-sectional analysis of 1 day of 24-hour dietary recall data.Participants/settingA nationally representative sample of US infants aged 0 to 11 months and toddlers aged 12 to 23 months (n=1,211) during the period from 2011 through 2016 from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Trends were assessed from 2005-2006 through 2015-2016 (n=2,795).Main outcome measuresAmong infants and toddlers, the proportion consuming any added sugars, the average amount of added sugars consumed, percent of total energy from added sugars, and top sources of added sugars intake.Statistical analysisPaired t tests were used to compare differences by age, sex, race/Hispanic origin, family income level, and head of household education level. Trends were tested using orthogonal polynomials. Significance was set at P<0.05.ResultsDuring 2011 to 2016, 84.4% of infants and toddlers consumed added sugars on a given day. A greater proportion of toddlers (98.3%) consumed added sugars than infants (60.6%). The mean amount of added sugars toddlers consumed was also more compared with infants (5.8 vs 0.9 tsp). Non-Hispanic black toddlers (8.2 tsp) consumed more added sugars than non-Hispanic Asian (3.7 tsp), non-Hispanic white (5.3 tsp), and Hispanic (5.9 tsp) toddlers. A similar pattern was observed for percent energy from added sugars. For infants, top sources of added sugars were yogurt, baby food snacks/sweets, and sweet bakery products; top sources among toddlers were fruit drinks, sugars/sweets, and sweet bakery products. The mean amount of added sugars decreased from 2005-2006 through 2015-2016 for both age groups; however, percent energy from added sugars only decreased among infants.ConclusionAdded sugars intake was observed among infants/toddlers and varied by age and race and Hispanic origin. Added sugars intake, as a percent of energy, decreased only among infants from 2005 to 2016.

Dataset Information

An Online Survey on Consumer Knowledge and Understanding of Added Sugars.

Publications

An Online Survey on Consumer Knowledge and Understanding of Added Sugars.

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