Comparison of two sugar reduction strategies with children: Case study with grape nectars

Excessive sugar consumption has been identified as the main dietary determinants of obesity among children and adolescents. Sugar sweetened beverages are one of the main sources of added sugar in the diet. Therefore, gradual sugar reduction in these products can contribute to decreasing sugar intake and encourage children to slowly develop preference for products with lower sugar concentration. However, specific recommendations on how to implement gradual sugar reduction programs are still lacking. The aim of the present study was to compare two sugar reduction strategies (stepwise vs. gradual) on children's sensory and hedonic perception of grape nectar. One hundred and seventeen 6-12 years old children participated in a two-part study: a 9-week study and a final liking test at the end of 11 weeks. In the 9-week study, children were divided in two sugar reduction strategies: stepwise and gradual. Children's sensory and hedonic perception was evaluated using 9 point hedonic scales and check-all-that-apply questions. There were no major differences between the gradual and stepwise reduction groups in children's sensory and hedonic perception. However, results showed that the gradual reduction strategy led to smaller changes in children's sensory and hedonic perception than the stepwise strategy. In the final test, children in the stepwise group gave significantly higher liking scores to the samples than those in the gradual sugar reduction strategy. Comparing the overall liking between the first time the children tasted the grape nectars and the final test, a significant difference was observed for the sample with lower sugar content only for the stepwise group, which was higher in the 11th week. Although differences between the sugar reduction strategies were small, the gradual reduction strategy seems to be recommended over the step-wise strategy.