Table 2.
Task performance and sweet preferences by age-group, Monell Sweet Preference Study, Philadelphia, PA, 2002–2006
| Age-group |
|||
| Children, (n = 338) | Adolescents, (n = 168) | Adults, (n = 424) | |
| Task performance measures | |||
| Number of pairs required to reach criterion, mean (SD), range | |||
| Series 1 | 3.7* (1.0), 3–9 | 3.6 (0.8), 3–8 | 3.5 (0.8), 3–7 |
| Series 2 | 3.5 (0.8), 3–9 | 3.4 (0.7), 3–7 | 3.5 (0.7), 3–8 |
| Both series | 7.2 (1.2), 6–13 | 7.0 (1.1), 6–12 | 7.0 (1.1), 6–14 |
| Agreement between series 1 and 2, n (% of age-group) | |||
| Preferred same concentration | 122 (36) | 62 (37) | 209 (50) |
| Preferred 1 concentration higher/lower | 137 (41) | 67 (40) | 157 (37) |
| Preferred 2 concentrations higher/lower | 49 (14) | 33 (19) | 44 (10) |
| Preferred >2 concentrations higher/lower | 30 (9) | 6 (4) | 14 (3) |
| Sweet preference measures, mean (SD) | |||
| Intensity of sucrose most preferred, geometric mean (%w/v) | 18.4* (10.5) | 18.7* (9.9) | 14.4 (10.4) |
| Sucrose content of most preferred cereal (g/100 g)a | 36.4* (13.0) | 36.4* (11.6) | 26.8 (14.9) |
| Sucrose content of most preferred beverage (g/100 mL)b | 9.9 (4.1) | 10.4 (3.6) | |
SD, standard deviation.
a
Data from 343 children, 168 adolescents, and 326 adults.
b
Data from 351 children and 158 adolescents.
*P < 0.001, compared with adults.