Knowledge, Attitude, Perception And Consumption Pattern Of Non-Nutritive Sweeteners Among Undergraduates In Abia State University, Extension:- Umezurike, Chioma F

ABSTRACT

This cross-sectional study assessed the knowledge, attitude, perception and consumption pattern of non-nutritive sweeteners among undergraduates in Abia State University, Extension, using a multi-stage, simple random sampling technique.An interviewer-administered questionnaire was used to collect data from 385 undergraduates. Knowledge was classified as <50% (poor), 50-70% (fair) and >70% (good), attitude was classified as <50% (negative), 50-70 (neutral) and >70% (positive), perception was classified as <50% (low), 50-70% (moderate) and >70% (high). Frequencies and percentages were used in analyzing the socio-demographic characteristics, knowledge level, attitude of health risk, perception of health risk and consumption pattern of NNS. Fishers exact test was used to test factors associated with knowledge of non-nutritive sweetener, attitude and perception towards consumption of NNS at 0.05 level of significance. The results revealed that most of the students had poor knowledge <50% (67.3 %), positive attitude >70% (39.2%) and high awareness >70% (73.5%) on the consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners. Many of the participants consumed coco products (32.5%), milk (30.6%), ice-cream (30%), sweetened yogurt (18.4%) and cereal (28.1%) 2-3 times weekly. The age, level of study in the university, and the faculty students belong to were significantly associated with perception of NNS (p<0.05). Place of residence and ethnicity were associated with attitude, while parental marital status and household size were associated with knowledge of NNS (p<0.05). The study recommends that educational programs and appropriate sensitization programs be designed to improve the knowledge ofthe health risks associated with non-nutritive sweetened beverages.