Nonnutritive sweeteners in Brazil: current use and associated factors

Abstract

Introduction: The consumption of added sugars has increased worldwide. To guide and encourage the implementation of public policies on the consumption of nonnutritive sweetener (NNS), it is necessary not only to identify the amount consumed of these products, but also the factors associated with their consumption. Objective: This study aimed to identify the variables related to NNS consumption in São Paulo state, Brazil. Method: A cross-sectional study involving adult employees of two public Universities in São Paulo state, Brazil, was conducted. An online questionnaire was applied containing questions on the use of NNSs and information about demographic, socioeconomic, anthropometric and health characteristics. The statistical analyses performed included: the Chi-square test to determine association between explanatory and dependent variables, adopting a level of significance of p<0.05, and binary logistic regression calculating the Odds-Ratio (OR) (α = 0.05). Results: A total of 1323 individuals took part in the study. The prevalence of NNS use was 53.3%, proving higher among individuals between 30 and 60 years of age (83.3. The Chi-squared test revealed that the variables gender (p = 0.000), Diabetes Mellitus (DM) (p = 0.000), arterial hypertension (p = 0.008), diffi culty controlling weight (p = 0.000), BMI (p = 0.000), income (p = 0.002) and age (p = .000) had a direct and signifi cant association with NNS consumption. On the logistics regression model, the variables signifi cantly associated with NNS consumption were gender (OR 1.3), age (OR = 2.59), DM (OR = 3.32), difficulty controlling weight (OR = 2.29) and consumption of diet foods (OR = 3.87). These results revealed that women are 30% more likely to consume NNS than men and that being aged between 50 and 60 years increases the likelihood of consuming these products by 2.59 times. In addition, being diabetic, having diffi culty controlling body weight, and consuming diet foods increase the likelihood of NNS consumption by 3.32; 2.29 and 3.97 times, respectively. Conclusion: The majority of the population studied were consumers of NNSs. The variables gender, age, DM, diffi culty controlling body weight, and consuming diet foods were all associated with the  consumption of NNSs.