AUTHOR=Chen Qiao , Zhang Yan , Li Hui 

TITLE=Knowledge, attitude, and practice toward non-nutritive sweeteners among the population with reduced sugar intake requirement

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Nutrition

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2024

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2023.1268599

DOI=10.3389/fnut.2023.1268599

ISSN=2296-861X

ABSTRACT=<sec><title>Introduction</title><p>This study aimed to explore the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward non-nutritive sweeteners among a population with reduced sugar intake requirements.</p></sec><sec><title>Methods</title><p>This cross-sectional study used self-developed questionnaires to collect demographic characteristics and KAP towards non-nutritive sweeteners among respondents with reduced sugar intake requirements, i.e., overweight or obese individuals and patients with pre-diabetes or diabetes.</p></sec><sec><title>Results</title><p>A total of 639 valid questionnaires were collected, and 51.64% of participants were male. The KAP scores were 7.63 ± 3.58 (range: 0–11), 34.28 ± 7.47 (range: 12–60), and 15.48 ± 3.97 (range: 7–35), respectively. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed that knowledge score was positively correlated with attitude (<italic>r</italic> = 0.229, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001) and practice score (<italic>r</italic> = 0.467, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001), while attitude was positively correlated with practice (<italic>r</italic> = 0.312, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). The structural equation model showed that knowledge was directly and positively associated with attitude (path coefficient = 0.48, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001) and practice (path coefficient = 0.46, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). In addition, the attitude was directly and positively associated with practice (path coefficient = 0.12, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.001). Besides, diabetes was associated with lower knowledge (path coefficient = −0.81, <italic>p</italic> = 0.038) and practice (path coefficient = −0.42, <italic>p</italic> &lt; 0.041).</p></sec><sec><title>Discussion</title><p>Population with the reduced sugar intake requirement showed poor knowledge, negative attitudes, and suboptimal practices toward non-nutritive sweeteners. To optimize the utilization of non-nutritive sweeteners in accordance with medical prescriptions, especially for individuals with diabetes, tailored educational interventions may be designed for participants with lower KAP.</p></sec>