Sugar literacy : a case for avenging against vending of beverages at our hospital

Abstract

Background: Sugar is detrimental to health, particularly sugared beverages; yet they continue to be vended in hospitals. Objectives: Our community health project aimed to determine ‘sugar literacy’ in the vicinity of our hospital’s waiting room where sugared beverages are vended. In addition, to determine association(s) between sugar literacy with diet & nutrition knowledge, attitudes, behaviour and sociodemographic factors. Methods: A survey was conducted in the waiting room of our hospital. Participants were asked to ‘read the label’ of beverages (ten in total) in the vending machine and decipher their sugar content to determine ‘sugar literacy’. In addition, assessment of participants’ diet & nutrition knowledge, diet & nutrition attitudes and diet & nutrition behaviours were ascertained and their sociodemographic profile recoded. Variations in sugar literacy (ability to correctly identify sugar content) was determined in bivariate and regression analyses. Results: The response rate was (96.1%, 275/286). Knowledge of diet and nutrition was poor – with a mean score of 2.3 (SD1.8) out of a possible score of 14 [mean general knowledge score was 1.6 (1.2)/ 6.0 and mean sugar knowledge score was 0.8(1.1)/8.0]. Attitudes to diet and nutrition were generally favorable – mean score 4.5 (SD 1.2) out of a possible score of 6.0. Behaviours towards diet and nutrition were generally poor - mean score was 1.2 (SD 1.0) out of a possible score of 4.0. Approximately a third (38.2%, 105) could correctly identify sugar content of all ten vended beverages – ‘sugar literate’. Bivariate analyses identified socio-demographic variations – age group was associated with knowledge scores (p<0.001) and attitude scores (p<0.001); education attainment was associated with knowledge scores (p<0.001), attitude scores (p<0.001) and sugar literacy (p<0.001). In regression analyses, diet and nutritional knowledge score was significantly associated with being sugar literate (OR 1.28, 95%CI 1.11, 1.47, p=0.001). Conclusions: Sugar literacy is low where beverages are vended at our hospital. Knowledge of diet and nutrition is associated with sugar literacy. Our findings have implications in avenging against vending machines at our hospital and a call to enhance diet and nutrition based oral health promotion activities.