Korean J Community Nutr.  2023 Apr;28(2):104-113. 10.5720/kjcn.2023.28.2.104.

Association between eating habits, sweet taste assessment, and high-sugar food consumption among elementary school students in Daegu: a descriptive study

• Kim MJ
• Shin EK
• Lee YK

• KMID: 2542118
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.5720/kjcn.2023.28.2.104

Abstract

Objectives
The purpose of this study was to analyze high-sugar food consumption habits frequency among elementary school students, and their correlations with eating habits and sweet taste assessment.
Methods
The participants of the study were 164 elementary school students in Daegu, in the fifth or sixth grade, along with their parents. A questionnaire investigated eating habits, high-sugar food consumption habits and frequency, and sweet taste assessment.
Results
The average eating habits score for elementary school students was determined to be 71.7 out of 100. Students with higher eating habits scores had lower high-sugar food consumption habits and frequency compared to those with lower eating habits scores. Sweet taste assessment revealed that students who preferred less sweetness chose a 5% sugar concentration, those with a preference for normal sweetness chose a 10% sugar concentration, and those who preferred sweeter tastes chose a 20% sugar concentration. Sweet taste assessment showed that students who tended to prefer less sweetness had the highest eating habits scores and the lowest scores for high-sugar food consumption habits and frequency. In addition, eating habits scores were found to be negatively correlated with high-sugar food consumption habits, high-sugar food consumption frequency, and sweet taste assessment. The sweet taste assessment was positively correlated with high-sugar food consumption habits and frequency.
Conclusions
Our results indicate that students with good eating habits had more desirable overall sugar intake habits, and when the preference for sweetness was high, the frequency of high-sugar food consumption was also high. Our study highlights the importance of educating elementary school students and their parents about the harmful effects of excessive sugar consumption, as well as the benefits of adopting healthy eating habits and creating supportive environments.

Keyword

Sugar consumption; Eating habits; Sweet taste assessment; Elementary school students