Candy vs. snacks: parent and child discussions of characteristics that define candy and snack foods (1022.4)

Despite an increasing focus on the intake of snack foods, not much research has studied variations in parents’ and children’s definitions, categorizations, and conceptualizations of candy and other snack foods. Focus groups with parents (n=35) and structured interviews with children aged 5‐8 (n=38) were conducted to examine their views and perceptions around candy and other snack foods. Parents and their children also completed a card sort task with 39 images of snack foods and candies, in which they were asked to group similar foods together. Food groupings were analyzed in Syncaps (Syntagam Ltd., UK) using hierarchical clustering. Results for the card sort tasks revealed that both parents and children separated foods traditionally viewed as candy (e.g. chocolate, lollipops) from other snack foods (cookies, chips, and natural snacks), and often grouped the candies into categories labeled “chocolate” or “candy”. When asked for characteristics that define candy in relation to other snack foods, parents tended to say that candy was less healthy, had artificial coloring and flavoring, had higher sugar content and sweetness, or had chewy, hard, or crunchy textures; data from children revealed both similarities and differences from their parents’ views on candy. Candy is considered qualitatively distinct from other snack foods by parents and children based on its nutritional and compositional characteristics. These findings suggest the need to separate candy from snack foods in diet assessment tools to better capture candy and snack consumption. Grant Funding Source : USDA 2011‐67001‐30117 Childhood Obesity Prevention Training Program