Introducing Juice and Sugar-Sweetened Beverages in Early Infancy: Parental Knowledge and Intended Behaviors.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Musial, Sandra; Abioye, Ajibola; Murillo, Anarina L.; Eskander, Jessica; Sykes, Olivia; Rodriguez, Lixis; Friedman, Jennifer F.; Bancroft, Barbara; Golova, Natalia
- Source
- Clinical Pediatrics. Feb2021, Vol. 60 Issue 2, p109-118. 10p.
- Subject
- *RISK of childhood obesity
*BEVERAGES
*FRUIT juices
*INFANT nutrition
*PSYCHOLOGY of parents
*QUESTIONNAIRES
*EDUCATIONAL attainment
*HEALTH literacy
- Language
- ISSN
- 0009-9228
Objective: Assess caregivers' knowledge about juice and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) and identify factors that contribute to their early introduction. Methods: One hundred forty-four parents of young infants completed a 45-item questionnaire focused on infant nutrition. Results: Seventy-two percent of parents plan to give juice to their babies starting in the first year of life; only 16% plan to introduce SSBs. Parents with some college education or more were significantly less likely to report an intention to introduce juice (P <.0001) and SSBs (P <.001) in their children's diets. Education level was significantly associated with knowledge about juice and SSBs (P <.001). Parents with higher knowledge were significantly less likely to plan on introducing juice (P <.001) and SSBs (P <.001). Conclusion: Parents of young infants lack enough knowledge about the detrimental effects of juice and sugary drinks. These knowledge gaps give pediatric providers a unique opportunity to provide anticipatory guidance starting in early infancy on the adverse health effects of juice and SSBs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]