When are caregivers more likely to offer sugary drinks and snacks to infants? A qualitative thematic synthesis

Many children consume more sugar than is recommended, and caregivers often find it difficult to change this habit once established. This thematic synthesis aims to identify the “critical situations” where caregivers may be more likely to offer infants sugary drinks and snacks. This thematic synthesis is reported in accordance with the statement for enhancing transparency in reporting the synthesis of qualitative research (ENTREQ). Our confidence in the findings of our synthesis was assessed using the CERQual (Confidence in the Evidence From Reviews of Qualitative Research Approach). We included 16 studies from the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, and Denmark. We identified eight “critical situations” when caregivers may be more likely to offer sugary drinks and snacks to infants. Interventions that seek to reduce sugar intake for caries prevention in infants and young children may be more successful if they provide caregivers with practical parenting strategies to replace the nonnutritive functions of sugary foods and drinks, as opposed to taking an information-giving approach.