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Strategies to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage consumption and increase water access and intake among young children: perspectives from expert stakeholders

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 October 2018

Kelsey A Vercammen*
Affiliation:
Department of Epidemiology, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, 677 Huntington Avenue, Kresge 431, Boston, MA02115, USA
Johannah M Frelier
Affiliation:
Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
Caitlin M Lowery
Affiliation:
Department of Health Policy and Management, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, MD, USA
Alyssa J Moran
Affiliation:
Department of Nutrition, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
Sara N Bleich
Affiliation:
Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
*
*Corresponding author: Email kev266@mail.harvard.edu
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Abstract

Objectives

To summarize stakeholder recommendations and ratings of strategies to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and increase water access and intake among young children (0–5 years).

Design

Two online surveys: survey 1 asked respondents to recommend novel and innovative strategies to promote healthy beverage behaviour; survey 2 asked respondents to rank each of these strategies on five domains (overall importance, feasibility, effectiveness, reach, health equity). Open-ended questions were coded and analysed for thematic content.

Setting

Using a snowball sampling approach, respondents were invited to complete the survey through an email invitation or an anonymous listserv link. Of the individuals who received a private email invitation, 24 % completed survey 1 and 29 % completed survey 2.

Subjects

Survey 1 (n 276) and survey 2 (n 182) included expert stakeholders who work on issues related to SSB and water consumption.

Results

Six overarching strategies emerged to change beverage consumption behaviours (survey 1): education; campaigns and contests; marketing and advertising; price changes; physical access; and improving the capacity of settings to promote healthy beverages. Labelling and sugar reduction (e.g. reformulation) were recommended as strategies to reduce SSB consumption, while water testing and remediation emerged as a strategy to promote water intake. Stakeholders most frequently recommended (survey 1) and provided higher ratings (survey 2) to strategies that used policy, systems and/or environmental changes.

Conclusions

The present study is the first to assess stakeholder opinions on strategies to promote healthy beverage consumption. This knowledge is key for understanding where stakeholders believe resources can be best utilized.

Information

Type
Research paper
Copyright
© The Authors 2018 
Figure 0

Table 1 Professional and geographic characteristics of survey 1 and 2 respondents

Figure 1

Table 2 Themes and sub-themes for strategies to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption and increase access to and consumption of safe drinking-water among 0- to 5-year-olds from survey 1

Figure 2

Fig. 1 Graphical depiction of ratings of strategies from survey 2 to reduce sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) consumption among 0–5-year-olds. The strategies to reduce SSB consumption are ranked across five domains as summarized in the online supplementary material, Supplemental Table 3: (i) as the strategies move up the y-axis, they are ranked as more feasible; (ii) as the strategies move right across the x-axis, they are ranked as having a greater reach; (iii) as the strategy bubbles become a darker shade of green, they are ranked as more equitable; (iv) as the strategy bubbles become larger, they are ranked as more effective; and (v) inside the strategy bubbles, the strategies which received the highest overall importance rating are indicated with a number (1 to 5). ECE, early childhood education; SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; TV television

Figure 3

Fig. 2 Graphical depiction of ratings of strategies from survey 2 to increase access to and intake of water among 0- to 5-year-olds. The strategies to increase access/consumption of safe drinking-water ranked are across five domains as summarized in the online supplementary material, Supplemental Table 3: (i) as the strategies move up the y-axis, they are ranked as more feasible; (ii) as the strategies move right across the x-axis, they are ranked as having a greater reach; (iii) as the strategy bubbles become a darker shade of green, they are ranked as more equitable; (iv) as the strategy bubbles become larger, they are ranked as more effective; and (v) inside the strategy bubbles, the strategies which received the highest overall importance rating are indicated with a number (1 to 5). SNAP, Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program; WIC, Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children; ECE, early childhood education

Supplementary material: File

Vercammen et al. supplementary material

Vercammen et al. supplementary material 1

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Vercammen et al. supplementary material

Tables S1-S3

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