Prediabetes awareness is not associated with lower consumption of self-reported added sugar in U.S. adults.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Cross-sectional survey analysis of population data (NHANES).
PubMed 36031095 · doi:10.1016/j.annepidem.2022.08.039
What was done
Researchers analyzed cross-sectional data from 3,314 adults aged 20 years and older with prediabetes from the 2013–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). Using survey-weighted ordinary least squares regression, they evaluated the association between prediabetes awareness and usual added sugar intake (g/day, estimated via the National Cancer Institute Method), adjusting for sociodemographic covariates and testing interactions by age, sex, and race/Hispanic origin.
What was found
Among 3,314 adults with prediabetes, 528 were aware and 2,786 were unaware of their condition. Prediabetes awareness was not significantly associated with added sugar consumption (estimated difference 1.7 g/day; 95% CI: -0.80 to 4.20; P = .18). No significant differences were observed across age (P = .15), sex (male P = .86), or race/Hispanic origin (P = .89).
Why it matters
These findings suggest that simply knowing one has prediabetes does not translate into reduced added sugar consumption, indicating that awareness alone may be insufficient for dietary risk reduction.
Limits
The cross-sectional design prevents establishing temporality or tracking dietary changes after diagnosis. Dietary intake was self-reported, which is vulnerable to recall error and social desirability bias.
Cited by
- supports Ninety percent of Americans with prediabetes are undiagnosed by their physicians.