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Updated: Jun 6, 2026

A General Method for Evaluating Incubation of Sucrose Craving in Rats
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Sweet Relief or Risky Substitute? Applying Secondary Risk Theory to Sugar Consumption.

Prerna Shah1, Yi Yin Leong2, Xinxia Dong3

  • 1Grady College of Journalism and Mass Communication, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, USA.

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|June 5, 2026
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Consumers weigh sugar risks against sugar substitute risks. Perceived severity and susceptibility influence decisions, with response efficacy and information relevance playing key roles in health trade-offs.

Keywords:
Secondary risk theoryinformation relevancesugarsugar substitutesthreat appraisal

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Area of Science:

  • Health Psychology
  • Risk Perception Research
  • Consumer Behavior Analysis

Background:

  • Excessive sugar intake poses significant health risks, including obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.
  • Sugar substitutes are often perceived as healthier alternatives but present their own potential risks.
  • Consumers face complex decisions when choosing between sugar and sugar substitutes due to competing risk perceptions.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate how individuals evaluate primary risks of sugar and secondary risks of sugar substitutes.
  • To apply Secondary Risk Theory (SRT) to understand decision-making regarding sugar substitute use.
  • To examine the influence of risk severity, susceptibility, response efficacy, and information relevance on behavioral intentions.

Main Methods:

  • A between-subjects experimental design was employed.
  • Information regarding the severity and susceptibility of sugar-related risks was manipulated.
  • Response efficacy and intention to use sugar substitutes were measured.

Main Results:

  • Severity and susceptibility information interacted to influence post-exposure response efficacy.
  • Severity manipulation directly increased intention to use sugar substitutes, while susceptibility did not.
  • Pre-exposure response efficacy negatively predicted secondary risk susceptibility, which mediated reduced behavioral intention.
  • Information relevance was found to mediate the relationship between secondary risk appraisal and behavioral intention.

Conclusions:

  • Response efficacy and information relevance are critical factors in navigating health risk trade-offs.
  • Individuals may downplay one risk dimension (severity or susceptibility) when the other is more prominent.
  • Findings extend SRT by illustrating its application to everyday consumer health decisions involving risk assessment.