A study of parental knowledge and intended behaviour regarding introduction of juices and sugar-sweetened beverages in early childhood.

Background: Parents and families have a role to play in helping children develop healthy behaviours that will carry over into adulthood. The sugary drink and fruit juice consumption is significantly related to unhealthy weight gain in childhood. Hence, this study was planned to assess parental knowledge, attitudes, and practices about juice and sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs) among parents of children (2-24 months) and identify factors that contribute to their early introduction.

Methods and material: A cross-sectional study was conducted on 400 children-parent dyads (2-24 months). A questionnaire regarding the knowledge and attitudes about initiating fruit juice and SSB among children was prepared with 6 statements that were validated for contents by two subject experts. Each of the questions was designed to be answered on a Five-point Likert-type scale. STATA 14.2 version was used to analyse data.

Results: Out of 400, 14 (26.9%) and 125 (68%) parents planned to introduce SSBs and juices respectively in the first year life of their child. None of the parents had an excellent knowledge score. There was no significant difference reported between parents with less than high school and those with high school/graduation educated in their intention to introduce juice and SSBs (P = 0.68) to their babies in the first year of life and about its knowledge (P = 0.82). Most parents with lower socio-economic status (58.6%) showed less likeliness to introduce juices and SSBs to their child's diet as reflected by a statistically significant (P = 0.01) knowledge score.

Conclusion: There was a knowledge gap among parent's of children irrespective of their education level and socio-economic status.