Associations between Child and Parent Knowledge of Added Sugar Recommendations and Added Sugar Intake in Multiethnic Elementary-Aged Children

ABSTRACT Background A key goal of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2015–2020 is to reduce added sugar intake by increasing public knowledge about added sugars. However, research has not shown if knowledge of added sugar recommendations is associated with intake. Objectives To determine the relation between parent and child knowledge of added sugar recommendations with added sugar intake in primarily low-income and Hispanic third- to fifth-grade students. Methods Analysis examined baseline, cross-sectional data from TX Sprouts, a 1-y cooking, gardening, and nutrition clustered randomized controlled trial. Participants were 685 parent-child dyads from 16 elementary schools in the greater Austin area. Parents and children completed a survey to assess knowledge of added sugar recommendations. Children completed two 24-h dietary recalls to assess average intake of added sugars. Mixed effects linear regression models were used to estimate associations between child and parent knowledge of added sugar recommendations and average total added sugar intake. Results Children who correctly identified the added sugar recommendation consumed lower amounts of added sugar compared with children who did not correctly identify the recommendation (34.8 ± 2.7 compared with 41.0 ± 2.5 g; P = 0.003), after adjusting for sociodemographic characteristics. Parent knowledge of added sugar recommendations was not associated with child intake. Conclusions Child knowledge of added sugar recommendations was associated with lower intake of added sugars. Findings suggest that child nutrition education should focus on increasing knowledge of national recommendations. Future research should investigate a causal relation between added sugar knowledge and intake in elementary-aged children.

The Effect of an Online Sugar Fact Intervention: Change of Mothers with Young Children

Research indicates that high sugar intake in early childhood may increase risks of tooth decay, obesity and chronic disease later in life. In this sugar fact study, we explored whether an online intervention which focused on comprehensive and useful information about nutrition labels impacted mother’s choice of low sugar food. The intervention was developed on the basis of the theory of planned behavior. In total, 122 mothers were recruited. Mothers were divided into an online-only group and a plus group. Knowledge of sugar and nutrition labels, behavioral attitudes, perceived behavioral control, behavioral intentions and behavior towards purchasing low-sugar products with nutrition labels were collected. After the intervention, both groups exhibited significantly enhanced sugar and nutrition label knowledge, perceived behavioral control, behavioral intentions and behavior. Compared to the online-only group, knowledge, perceived behavioral control and behavior of the plus group significantly improved. After the intervention, about 40% of the plus group and 80% of the online-only group still did not know the World Health Organization (WHO) sugar recommendations. Understanding sugar recommendations and using nutrition labels are crucial to help people control calorie and sugar intake. Further research with a larger sample is warranted to evaluate the effects of the intervention on long-term changes in shopping behavior. More efficient and convenient nutrition education is required to increase public awareness of sugar recommendations and help people control calorie and sugar intake.

Changes in dietary patterns when females engage in a weight management programme and their ability to meet Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition’s fibre and sugar recommendations

Objective:To investigate how dietary patterns (DP) change following engagement in a weight management programme. Using the DP identified, to study their relationship with weight loss achieved and ability to meet the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition’s 2015 fibre and sugar recommendations.Design:Secondary analysis of FFQ data, which collected dietary information at two time points: retrospectively before (T0) and presently during (T1) Slimming World’s programme, was analysed. Principal component analysis derived the DP present.Setting:Online FFQ, hosted by Slimming World (SW) in the UK.Participants:Female SW members (n 325; 17–68 years old).Results:At T0, two DP, ‘plant based’ and ‘processed meat and sugar added by the consumer’ were identified. At T1, three DP were identified, ‘high meat’, ‘high fat salt and sugar (HFSS) products’ and ‘nuts and oils’. Participants with a diet low in ‘HFSS products’ lost significantly more weight (P for trend = 0·001), were more likely to consume breakfast (P = 0·021) and consumed less free sugar compared with high ‘HFSS product’ consumers. Those initially presenting with a low ‘plant based’ diet score lost more weight at T1 (P for trend = 0·046). With engagement, mean fibre intake increased from 24·3 to 32·4 g/d (P < 0·001) and free sugar intake decreased from 12·6 to 8·7 % total dietary energy (P < 0·001).Conclusions:An individual’s DP before and with engagement in a weight management programme may indicate their weight loss success. Advising reduced HFSS product intake may aid initial weight loss. SW appears to promote dietary changes towards UK fibre and sugar recommendations.

Child and Parent Knowledge of Added Sugar Recommendations Is Associated with Decreased Added Sugar Intake in Multiethnic Elementary Aged Children (P16-021-19)

Objectives Due to the adverse health effects of added sugar consumption, the 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans (DGA) have encouraged reduced intake of added sugars. While education is a key component of the DGA, no research has studied whether knowledge of the recommendations for added sugar is associated with decreased intake. The aim of this study was to determine the impact of parent and child knowledge of added sugar recommendations on added sugar intake in a sample of multiethnic 3rd to 5th grade students. Methods This study examined cross-sectional data from TX Sprouts, a 1-year cooking, gardening, and nutrition clustered randomized control trial. A sample of 685 children and one of their parents completed questionnaires to assess knowledge of added sugar recommendations. Two 24-hour dietary recalls were used to assess average child energy and added sugar intake. Multiple linear regression was used to examine associations between child and parent knowledge and a child's added sugar intake while controlling for child age, ethnicity, gender, and energy intake and parent ethnicity and gender. Results Only 38% of children were able to identify the correct recommendation for added sugar intake, compared to 46% of parents. Parent knowledge of the added sugar recommendation was associated with a lower intake of added sugar (40.1 vs 35.6 grams, P < 0.01). Child knowledge of the added sugar recommendation was associated with a lower intake of added sugar (39.9 vs 35.9 grams, P < 0.02). Conclusions The findings of this study suggest that knowledge of added sugar guidelines is associated with lower intake of added sugar. Nutrition education for children and their parents should focus on increasing knowledge of national guidelines and recommendations to improve dietary intake and overall health. Funding Sources This research was supported by funding from the National Institutes of Health – National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute.