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Parental perceptions and practices regarding sugar intake by school-aged children: a qualitative study with Portuguese parents

2021-11-01Journal article Open access
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dc.contributor.authorMarília, Prada
dc.contributor.authorSaraiva, Magda
dc.contributor.authorGodinho, Cristina A.
dc.contributor.authorTourais, Bárbara
dc.contributor.authorCavalheiro, Bernardo P.
dc.contributor.authorGarrido, Margarida V.
dc.date.accessioned2022-02-24T10:54:57Z
dc.date.available2023-06-23T00:30:30Z
dc.date.issued2021-11-01
dc.description.abstractExcessive sugar intake is one of the factors contributing to the alarming rates of childhood obesity and overweight in Portugal. Children's preferences and food consumption patterns are largely determined by the foods that are more familiar to them. Parents and caregivers are responsible for shaping children's eating habits since they are the ones who choose the food available in the household. The present study explores parental perceptions about sugar and sugar intake and its consequences on children's health. Moreover, we also examined the practices that parents use to regulate their children's diet, namely, to promote the consumption of desired foods (e.g., vegetables) and limit the intake of undesired food (e.g., sweets), and the perceived barriers and facilitators of sugar intake regulation. To this end, 42 interviews were conducted with parents of school-aged children (ages 6–10 years). A thematic analysis revealed that parents perceive sugar as highly negative (e.g., “evil”, “poison”, “addiction”) and its consumption as harmful (e.g., hyperactivity; overweight). Nonetheless, the view that sugary food consumption is not necessarily problematic was also common. Indeed, most parents considered that sugar intake should be regulated but not forbidden. To control the intake of sugary foods (e.g., sodas, cookies), they reported using strategies such as restriction, explanation, or negotiation. Several barriers to sugar intake regulation were identified (e.g., birthday parties, parents' lack of knowledge), but also a few facilitators (e.g., bringing food from home to school). Our findings may inform the development of interventions or policies to promote healthier eating habits in school-age children.pt_PT
dc.description.versioninfo:eu-repo/semantics/acceptedVersionpt_PT
dc.identifier.doi10.1016/j.appet.2021.105471
dc.identifier.eid85108816889
dc.identifier.issn0195-6663
dc.identifier.pmid34147567
dc.identifier.urihttp://hdl.handle.net/10400.14/36810
dc.identifier.wos000683545000011
dc.language.isoengpt_PT
dc.peerreviewedyespt_PT
dc.subjectBarrierspt_PT
dc.subjectChildrenpt_PT
dc.subjectParental perceptionspt_PT
dc.subjectStrategiespt_PT
dc.subjectSugar intakept_PT
dc.titleParental perceptions and practices regarding sugar intake by school-aged children: a qualitative study with Portuguese parentspt_PT
dc.typejournal article
dspace.entity.typePublication
oaire.citation.titleAppetitept_PT
oaire.citation.volume166pt_PT
rcaap.rightsopenAccesspt_PT
rcaap.typearticlept_PT

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