Li Jiaxing, Zhang Jingyi, Hu Xiaowen, Sun Yu, Yu Jingyao, Wang Peiying, Tang Junhui, Hua Meihui, Chen Kefan, Na Lixin
Department of Public Health, Shanghai University of Medicine & Health Science, No.257, Tianxiong Road, Shanghai, 201318, China.
Department of Public Health, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.
J Health Popul Nutr. 2025 Aug 13;44(1):290. doi: 10.1186/s41043-025-01040-9.
Given the current lack of government-led front-of-package nutrition labeling policies in China, research on Chinese consumers' genuine perceptions of nutrition labels and their association with healthy behaviors remains scarce. Notably, Shanghai's beverage grading policy stands out as one of the rare existing initiatives, providing a valuable opportunity to explore public awareness of the policy, its potential determinants, and its associations with consumer choices.
To gain a clearer understanding of public perceptions of the beverage grading policy, a survey was conducted across seven hospitals in Shanghai, yielding 931 valid responses for analysis. Analysis We conducted descriptive analyses and multinomial logistic regression to explore factors associated with public awareness of the policy. We also examined how different levels of awareness were related to beverage consumption patterns.
More than half of the respondents were unaware of the policy. Greater awareness was associated with being female, younger, more highly educated, having a lower BMI, and paying closer attention to food nutrition and ingredient labels. However, respondents with nutrition-related chronic diseases and dietary restrictions did not exhibit significantly higher awareness. Individuals more familiar with the policy tended to purchase non-water beverages more frequently and, following its widespread implementation, adopted a more practical approach to their beverage choices. Moreover, higher policy awareness correlated with increased attention to sweeteners and trans fats.
Overall, this study found that public awareness of the beverage grading policy remains low, highlighting persistent research gaps in health-promotion efforts-particularly regarding the psychological mechanisms linking policy awareness to consumption behavior, and the media's role in shaping consumers' understanding of key nutrients. Looking ahead, the broader implementation of front-of-package labeling in China will require addressing entrenched systemic challenges.
鉴于中国目前缺乏政府主导的包装正面营养标签政策，关于中国消费者对营养标签的真实认知及其与健康行为的关联的研究仍然很少。值得注意的是，上海的饮料分级政策是现有的少数举措之一，为探索公众对该政策的认知、其潜在决定因素以及与消费者选择的关联提供了宝贵机会。
为了更清楚地了解公众对饮料分级政策的看法，在上海的七家医院进行了一项调查，共获得931份有效回复用于分析。分析我们进行了描述性分析和多项逻辑回归，以探索与公众对该政策认知相关的因素。我们还研究了不同认知水平与饮料消费模式之间的关系。
超过一半的受访者不知道该政策。更高的认知度与女性、年轻、受教育程度更高、体重指数较低以及更关注食品营养和成分标签有关。然而，患有与营养相关慢性病和有饮食限制的受访者的认知度并没有显著更高。对该政策更熟悉的个人往往更频繁地购买非水饮料，并且在该政策广泛实施后，在饮料选择上采取了更实际的方法。此外，更高的政策认知度与对甜味剂和反式脂肪的关注度增加相关。
总体而言，本研究发现公众对饮料分级政策的认知度仍然较低，凸显了健康促进工作中持续存在的研究空白，特别是在将政策认知与消费行为联系起来的心理机制以及媒体在塑造消费者对关键营养素的理解方面所起的作用。展望未来，在中国更广泛地实施包装正面标签将需要应对根深蒂固的系统性挑战。
