Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40536798›Full record

ArticleJMIR research protocols2025

How Labeling of Commercial Baby Foods Impacts Parents' Beliefs About Sugar Content and Related Purchasing and Feeding Decisions: Protocol for a Scoping Review.

Rana Conway, Tiffany Denning, Andrew Steptoe, Clare Llewellyn

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in JMIR research protocols, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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0citing papers in PubMed
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1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

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3 · Its place in the literature

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0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

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PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Rana ConwayResearch Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0003-0955-7107
Tiffany DenningResearch Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0009-0006-5324-7623
Andrew SteptoeResearch Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0001-7808-4943
Clare LlewellynResearch Department of Behavioural Science and Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.ORCID 0000-0002-0066-2827

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundAverage sugar consumption among young children in the United Kingdom exceeds the recommended intake. Many parents choose commercial baby foods believing these to be a healthy option. However, surveys show many products contain high levels of added or free sugars, despite labeling suggesting they are "natural" and "healthy." Analysis of labels and studies with parents suggest changes such as removing misleading marketing or adding sugar warning labels may impact parents' beliefs and food choices. However, the literature does not provide a comprehensive understanding of the range of changes to commercial baby food labels that might best support parents in choosing healthier foods for their children.

objectiveThis scoping review will explore the published and unpublished evidence base to better understand what is known about how labeling of baby foods impacts parents' beliefs about a product's sugar content and related purchasing and feeding decisions.

methodsThe JBI guidelines for methodology of scoping reviews will be followed, and results will be reported using PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) guidelines. The population, concept, and context (PCC) framework will be used to determine eligibility criteria. The search will include various research methodologies, including both quantitative (observational and interventional) and qualitative studies. An initial search of MEDLINE (Ovid) and Embase (Ovid) was conducted to develop a full search strategy for MEDLINE, which is presented here. In addition to MEDLINE and Embase, we will search PsycINFO (Ovid), CINAHL (Ebsco), Web of Science (Core Collection) and the Cochrane Library. Reference lists of included studies will also be searched. Unpublished reports will be identified using Google, Google Scholar, relevant websites, policy statements, and government reports and by contacting relevant government and third-sector organizations. In a 2-stage process, 2 reviewers will independently screen titles and abstracts and then full texts. One reviewer will then extract data and a second will verify accuracy. Findings will be presented in tables and diagrams accompanied by a narrative summary.

resultsThe literature searches yielded 2071 records from 6 databases, with 1123 documents remaining after deduplication. The gray literature search used a customized Google search, a targeted search of 34 websites, and contact with 49 experts.

conclusionsWe present a protocol for a scoping review to explore the evidence base to understand what is known about how the labeling of baby foods impacts parents' beliefs about sugar content and related purchasing and feeding decisions. The results of the review will help policymakers better understand regulatory opportunities to improve the labeling of commercial infant foods to help families feed infants and young children lower-sugar diets. INTERNATIONAL REGISTERED REPORT IDENTIFIER (IRRID): DERR1-10.2196/70135.

Indexed as

Food LabelingInfant FoodParentsConsumer BehaviorFood PreferencesHumansInfantResearch DesignScoping Reviews as TopicSugarsUnited KingdomSugarsbaby foodcommercial infant foodfood labelsnutrient warning labelsscoping reviewsugarsugar warning labelsweaning

Identifiers

PMID40536798
PMCPMC12226773

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.