Cukraus ir sudėtyje cukraus turinčių produktų vartojimo tarp studentų tyrimas ir vertinimas /

Reasoning: Every year, the increasing consumption of sugar is increasingly highlighted public health problem that is causing a concern among professionals. One of the social groups whose consumption is under the spotlight is students. Their changed lifestyle and many other factors influence the consumption of sugar and sugar-containing products. To address this public health problem effectively, it is important to assess the prevalence and determinants of consumption and students' understanding of the impact of sugar on health. Aim of the study: To evaluate the prevalence of sugar and sugar-containing products among undergraduate students at the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University and their perceptions of these products. Tasks: 1) To determine the prevalence of sugar and sugar-containing products consumption among students. 2) To determine the factors influencing the consumption and non-consumption of sugar and sugar-containing products among students. 3) To determine students' perceptions of the health impact of sugar and sugar-containing products. Methodology: 287 undergraduate students of the Faculty of Medicine of Vilnius University were interviewed via an online questionnaire. The results were structured using Microsoft Office Excel 2016 and analyzed using R Commander. Chi-square was calculated for statistical analysis, the difference is statistically significant when p ≤ 0.05. Results: Sugar is consumed by 81.5% of respondents, most often (30.8%) between 1 and 3 teaspoons per day. 91.6% of respondents consume products containing sugar. The main factors influencing consumption are price (89.3%) and taste (85.9%). The main factors influencing non-consumption are the desire to maintain a normal weight (88.7%) and information on health risks (75.5%). 24.7% of respondents count their sugar intake, the main reason for counting is to lose weight (36.6%), while those who do not count do not see the point of doing so (35.7%). 25.8% of respondents know the WHO recommended daily intake of sugar, while 88.9% of respondents agree that excessive sugar consumption has a negative impact on health. All respondents (100%) agree that obesity is a disease caused by excessive sugar consumption. Conclusions: Sugar and sugar-containing products are consumed by a high proportion of respondents. Price, taste and availability are the main influences on consumption. Factors influencing non-consumption are the desire to maintain a normal weight and information on the health risks of sugar. A large proportion of the survey participants lack knowledge of the recommended daily intake of sugar and the amount of sugar they consume. Not all participants agree that excessive sugar consumption can contribute to health problems. The disease most strongly associated with high sugar intake is obesity. Keywords: sugar, added sugar, sugar consumption, products containing sugar, sugar impact on health.

Grantor dc:publisher

Institutional Repository of Vilnius University

Year dc:date

2024

Author dc:creator

• Garunkštytė, Akvilė,

Statement dc:rights

• info:eu-repo/semantics/openAccess

Language dc:language

lit

Repository record dc:identifier

https://repository.vu.lt/VU:ELABAETD210583262&prefLang=en_US

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:vu.lt:elaba:210583262