Determinants of knowledge and attitudes about sugar and the association of knowledge and attitudes with sugar intake among adults: A systematic review

Adyya Gupta; Lisa G Smithers; Jane Harford; Tracy Merlin; Annette Braunack-Mayer

doi:10.1016/j.appet.2018.03.019

Determinants of knowledge and attitudes about sugar and the association of knowledge and attitudes with sugar intake among adults: A systematic review

Appetite. 2018 Jul 1:126:185-194. doi: 10.1016/j.appet.2018.03.019. Epub 2018 Apr 7.

Authors

Adyya Gupta¹, Lisa G Smithers², Jane Harford³, Tracy Merlin⁴, Annette Braunack-Mayer⁵

Affiliations

¹ School of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; School of Health and Society, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: adyya.gupta@adelaide.edu.au.
² School of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
³ Australian Research Centre for Population Oral Health (ARCPOH), School of Dentistry, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
⁴ Adelaide Health Technology Assessment, School of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia.
⁵ School of Public Health, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, South Australia, Australia; School of Health and Society, University of Wollongong, NSW, Australia. Electronic address: Annette_Braunack-Mayer@uow.edu.au.

PMID: 29634988
DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2018.03.019

Abstract

Efforts to reduce sugar intake levels have been primarily limited to increasing knowledge and changing attitudes. We conducted a systematic review to (1) identify factors influencing adults' knowledge and attitudes about sugar, and (2) determine if there is an association between knowledge and attitudes about sugar and sugar intake. We searched 15 electronic databases from inception to December 2016 for English language publications including adults with relevant exposure and outcome measures. Findings were summarised meta-narratively. Of 3287 studies, 22 studies (14 for objective one and 8 for objective two) were included. Individual (liking of sugary food), interpersonal (attitudes of peers) and environmental factors (media, health professionals and food labelling) influenced adults' knowledge and attitudes about sugar, at least to some extent. Overall, quality of the studies included in our review was weak, and evidence for the application of the Knowledge-Attitude-Behavior model for understanding sugar intake is limited. Protocol registered in the PROSPERO International prospective register of systematic reviews (registration number CRD42015027540).

Keywords: Attitude; Determinants; Dietary sugar; Intake; Knowledge; Review.

Publication types

Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Systematic Review

MeSH terms

Adult
Diet / psychology*
Dietary Sugars*
Eating / psychology*
Feeding Behavior / psychology*
Female
Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice*
Humans
Male

Substances

Dietary Sugars