Beverage Characteristics Perceived as Healthy among Hispanic and African-American Parents of Young Children

BACKGROUND: It is recommended that children under 6 years old avoid sugar-sweetened beverages (SSBs), yet 25% of toddlers and 45% of preschool-aged children consume SSBs on a given day, with the highest intakes reported among Hispanic and African American children. OBJECTIVE: To investigate characteristics that predominantly low-income Hispanic and African American parents perceive to reflect a healthy beverage, and examine the influence of these characteristics on parents’ perceptions of the beverages they provide to their young children. DESIGN: This study consisted of two activities: a qualitative activity where parents (n=102) were asked to report what characteristics they perceive to reflect a healthy beverage and a quantitative activity where parents (n=96) indicated the extent to which each of the reported characteristics influence parents’ perceptions of the beverages they provide to their young children. PARTICIPANTS/SETTING: Hispanic and African American parents of young children (