International Journal of Food Science and Nutrition

Authors
Luciene Reis, Camilla Oliveira, Leiliane Romualdo, Gabriel Miranda, Marco Aurélio Rosa, Andréa Maria Vargas, Efigênia Ferreira

Abstract
Cross-sectional study to analyze the frequency of consumption and preference for processed foods containing added sugar among university students in southeastern Brazil. Data were collected through a questionnaire (SurveyMonkey®), distributed by e-mail to all students currently enrolled in classroom courses, which assessed the frequency of consumption and preference level of twenty-one types of processed foods containing added sugar. All the listed foods were widely available in the consumer market. Frequency of consumption was measured on a scale from 1 to 8 points (‘Never’ to ‘Three times a day’) and level of preference on a scale from 0 to 5 points (‘I don’t like it’ to ‘I like it a lot’), with a total score of 168 and 105 points, respectively. Correlation between the two was calculated based on the Spearman Correlation Coefficient, and variance in terms of r². Among 3,665 valid questionnaires, there was a significant positive correlation between frequency of consumption and preference for foods with added sugar (r = 0.448, p <0.001). Level of preference explained 22% of variance in frequency of consumption (r² = 0.22). As preference level increases, frequency of consumption tends to be higher, making highly palatable foods a risk to health.