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Parental Perceptions of Healthy Beverage Alternatives to Sugar‐Sweetened Beverages
Author(s) -
Welsh Jean A.,
Healy Shannan K.,
Vos Miriam B.
Publication year - 2013
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.27.1_supplement.232.3
Subject(s) - medicine , food science , overweight , environmental health , bottled water , obesity , fruit juice , skimmed milk , vitamin , whole milk , biology , environmental engineering , engineering
Background Efforts to reduce child obesity risk often promote reduced intake of sugar‐sweetened beverages (SSBs). Our objective was to describe parents’ perception of a healthy beverage alternative to SSBs. Methods A convenience sample of parents of healthy (normal or overweight) children (n=61) awaiting a clinic appointment completed an interviewer‐assisted survey (in English or Spanish) to identify the top three beverages perceived to be healthy alternatives to SSBs consumed by their child (age ≥ 1 y) at meals. Parents selected from among a display of 8 bottled beverages including: water, whole milk, reduced‐fat milk (2% fat), non‐fat milk, flavored milk, 100% juice, fruit‐flavored drinks, and vitamin water. The frequency of selection of each beverage was determined. Results 12% of parents described their children (mean age 8.5 y) as overweight; 40% as daily SSB consumers. Parents most frequently selected: water, 90% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 83, 98); 100% juice, 57% (CI: 45, 70); or reduced‐fat milk, 38% (CI: 25, 50) as one of their preferred alternatives to SSBs. Approximately one‐quarter of parents selected fruit‐flavored drinks, whole milk, or vitamin water and 11% (CI: 3.2, 19.7) selected fat‐free milk. Conclusion Water is recognized by nearly all parents as a healthy alternative to SSBs but non‐fat milk, the other beverage promoted in dietary guidelines for children, is not. Beverages discouraged in dietary guidelines, including fruit‐flavored drinks and whole milk, are perceived by many parents to be healthy alternatives to SSBs. These findings suggest that interventions to help parents identify healthy beverage options for their children are needed.