Non-Nutritive (Artificial) Sweetener Knowledge among University Students

Area of Science:

• Nutrition Science
• Consumer Health Education
• Food Science

Background:

• Non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) are widely used in food products.
• Understanding of NNS is crucial for making informed dietary and health decisions.
• Limited research exists on the depth of knowledge regarding NNS among university students.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the depth of knowledge about non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) among university health and science students.
• To evaluate students' ability to define, recall, and identify various NNS.
• To identify factors influencing NNS knowledge depth.

Main Methods:

• An online survey was administered to 493 university health and science students.
• Assessed knowledge through definition recall, memory-based examples, and a click-drag exercise identifying NNS by chemical and trade names.
• Compared NNS identification accuracy against decoy NNS, caloric sweeteners, and food items.

Main Results:

• Students provided basic NNS definitions with limited elements of knowledge depth.
• Recall of NNS from memory was low, with higher scores among non-NNS users and food label readers.
• NNS were more accurately identified by trade name than chemical name.
• Decoy NNS were frequently misidentified as real NNS, indicating confusion.

Conclusions:

• University students possess inadequate knowledge regarding non-nutritive sweeteners.
• This knowledge gap may hinder understanding of NNS consumption and their role in dietary health.
• Targeted educational interventions may be necessary to improve NNS literacy.