Evaluation of Sugar Consumption among 0-3 -year-old Thai children after change of ministerial regulation from 15 6 to 286

Abstract

The objective of this study was to survey the kind of milk consumption that children 636 months drinking everyday and to know about parent's behavior in reading food label on the product before they bought milk for their children, their behavior in adding sugar in milk and children's behavior-drinking sweet beverages in a day time after we changed ministerial regulation from 156 to 286. The method of the study were cross-sectional study in 12 provinces from 4 regions and Bangkok 3,602 samples were the parents of the children age 6-36 months data gathered by interviewing the parents with questionnaire at well baby clinic in 25 hospitals. The result was that the majority of sample 74.5% were mothers, care taker in daytime were mother 54.9% the children age 6-12 months still drank breast milk 40.4%, but 79.9% children drank powder milk without sugar. If we compared the result of this study to the first survey in 1994 the consumed powder milk without sugar were decreased, mothers were the main persons who decided to buy milk for their children and read food label on the product before they bought everytime, 58% of parents met the message on the product “don't add sugar in milk” 98.9% mothers didn't add sugar in milk and 78.4% of mother knew that drinking sweet milk frequently was cause of dental caries. When observed children's behavior in drinking milk 64.5% of this group still sucking milk bottle before bed, 57.2% liked to drink drinking yogurt and 36.7% liked to drink soft drink which we concerned that we had to use another public policy to adjust their behaviors. In conclusion of the study “Public Policy for Health” was the main strategy for the people to adjust their risk behaviors to be healthier.