ABSTRACT

This study examined the knowledge, attitude, perception, and consumption patterns of non-nutritive sweeteners (NNS) among staff at Michael Okpara University of Agriculture, Umudike (MOUAU). Using a cross-sectional design with 384 participants, a self-administered questionnaire was used to assess socio-demographic factors, knowledge, awareness, and usage of NNS, as well as attitudes and perceptions towards their health risks. Knowledge was classified as <50% (poor), 50-70% (fair) and >70% (good), attitude was classified as <50% (negative), 50-70 (neutral) and >70% (positive), and perception was classified as <50% (low), 50-70% (moderate) and >70% (high). Descriptive statistics were used to compile the data collected. Data were presented using frequencies and percentages. Chi-squared test was used to test the factors associated with the consumption of non-nutritive sweeteners. The level of significance was set at the (≤ 0.05). Findings show that most participants were aged 36–45 (41.1%), females (56.5%), married (71.6%), and from rural areas (64.8%). Knowledge of NNS was relatively high (40.1%), with 69.8% understanding that NNS contain fewer calories than sugar, and 56.3% perceiving a low cancer risk. However, 68.5% doubted that NNS reduce food cravings, reflecting mixed perceptions. Attitudes were mostly negative (46.9%), as 53.1% expressed reluctance towards regular NNS use. Notably, 62.5% supported substituting sugar with NNS, and 52.6% emphasized the importance of checking food labels for NNS content. Awareness levels were generally high (53.6%), with 74.2% able to identify common foods containing NNS. Consumption patterns revealed that NNS-laden products like carbonated drinks, flavored drinks, and dairy products were rarely consumed, suggesting limited integration of NNS into daily diets. Statistical analysis showed significant associations between socio-demographic factors and NNS knowledge (p- value= 0.029), attitude (p- value= 0.011), and perception (p- value= 0.057). Age, location, education, work type, marital status, and health conditions emerged as critical factors shaping participants' NNS-related knowledge. Age, educational level work type and location were associated with attitude, while Marital status and work type were associated with perception (p<0.05). The food product containing nonnutriive sweetner which had the highest daily consumption by the staff, were cocoa products (28.9%), carbonated drinks (23.3%), milk (24%), cereal (16.1%), and biscuits (20.2%). The factors associated with the attitude were age and present disease condition of the university staff.  This study underscores the need for targeted health education and transparent labeling to enhance understanding and positive attitudes toward NNS, especially among groups with lower awareness. Further longitudinal research is recommended to explore the long-term health impacts of NNS consumption.