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Beverage Characteristics Perceived as Healthy among Hispanic and African-American Parents of Young Children
Allison C Sylvetsky1, Son T Hoang1, Amanda J Visek1
1Department of Exercise and Nutrition Sciences, Milken Institute School of Public Health, The George Washington University, Washington, DC.
Insights
Hispanic and African-American parents prioritize natural ingredients and nutrient content when choosing beverages for young children. Culturally tailored interventions are needed to correct misperceptions about beverage healthfulness and improve selections.
Area of Science:
- Pediatric Nutrition
- Public Health
- Health Disparities
Background:
- Sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) are widely consumed by young children, despite recommendations against them.
- Consumption is highest among Hispanic and African-American children, highlighting a health disparity.
- Parental perceptions of beverage healthfulness significantly influence children's dietary intake.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify characteristics of healthy beverages as perceived by low-income Hispanic and African-American parents.
- To examine how these perceived characteristics influence parents' beverage choices for young children.
- To inform culturally relevant interventions for improving children's beverage consumption patterns.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative interviews (n=102) to gather perceived healthy beverage characteristics.
- Quantitative surveys (n=96) to assess the influence of these characteristics on parental perceptions.
- Comparison of perceived beverage characteristics and their influence between Hispanic and African-American parents.
Main Results:
- Parents most valued perceived sugar/sweetener content, natural ingredients, and specific nutrients.
- Hispanic parents placed greater importance on beverages being homemade, made with fruit, or containing vitamins compared to African-American parents.
- Significant differences were observed in the influence of specific beverage characteristics between the two groups.
Conclusions:
- Misperceptions regarding beverage healthfulness are prevalent among Hispanic and African-American parents.
- Culturally specific interventions are crucial to address these misperceptions effectively.
- Understanding group-specific perceptions is key to developing targeted strategies for healthier beverage choices in children.
Background:
It is recommended that children younger than 6 years of age avoid sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs); yet, 25% of toddlers and 45% of preschool-aged children consume SSBs on a given day, with the highest intakes reported among Hispanic and African-American children.
Objective:
To investigate characteristics that predominantly low-income Hispanic and African-American parents perceive to reflect a healthy beverage, and to examine the influence of these characteristics on parents' perceptions of the beverages they provide to their young children.
Design:
This study consisted of two activities: a qualitative activity where parents (n = 102) were asked to report what characteristics they perceive to reflect a healthy beverage and a quantitative activity where parents (n = 96) indicated the extent to which each of the reported characteristics influence parents' perceptions of the beverages they provide to their young children.
Participants And Setting:
Hispanic and African-American parents of young children (younger than 6 years of age) were recruited from the District of Columbia metropolitan area.
Main Outcome Measures:
Beverage characteristics and influence scores.
Statisical Analyses Performed:
Characteristics were categorized by the research team based on their perceived meaning. Perceived influence scores for each characteristic and category were compared across Hispanic and African-American parents using nonparametric, Mann-Whitney U tests, and false discovery rate adjustment was used to correct for multiple testing.
Results:
The characteristics perceived to be most influential included those pertaining to perceived beverage sugar and sweetener content, being natural, and containing certain nutrients. Characteristics such as being homemade, made with fruit, and containing vitamins were reported to be more influential among Hispanic parents compared with African-American parents.
Conclusions:
Findings emphasize the need to address misperceptions about the healthfulness of beverages among Hispanic and African-American parents. Differences in the perceived influence of specific beverage characteristics across Hispanic and African-American parents underscore the importance of developing culturally relevant interventions to improve parents' beverage selection for their children.
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