FREE DRAWING AND FREE LISTING: NEW SENSORY METHODOLOGIES TO EVALUATE THE CONSUMPTION PROFILE OF DAIRY PRODUCTS BY ADOLESCENTS

The Free Listing method has been applied to describe food products and evaluate consumer perceptions. However, its use to study food consumption is still incipient. The Free Drawing method was proposed and applied only in one study to evaluate the children’s consumption of vegetables and fruits. Dairy products are widely consumed in Brazil. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the applicability of the Free Drawing and Free Listing methodologies to trace adolescents' consumption of dairy products in Brazil. This study was approved by the Ethics Committee (CAAE: 65328222.3.0000.8156). The methodologies were applied to 61 adolescents (40 females and 21 males) aged between 15 and 17 years. The adolescents participated in both sessions (Free List and Free Drawing) with a 1-week forgetting period. During tasks, they were asked to list or draw all the dairy products they eat (at home, with friends, with family, on birthdays, at school, everywhere, and always). Contingency tables were constructed, and the mentioned percentages for each dairy product category and method (Free Listing or Free Drawing) were calculated. The Z test was used to compare proportions. The cognitive salience index (CSI) was calculated, and differences were analyzed by Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) and Tukey's test (p=0.05). The most reported dairy products were milk, cheese, and fermented milk. The adolescents performed both methodologies easily, with good understanding, and autonomously. The Free Listing methodology resulted in a higher mention proportion of dairy products and greater discrimination for cheeses and yogurts. Free Drawing methodology had a higher CSI for products of greater general consumption. It resulted in richer and more detailed information, as the drawing let us know the product type consumed within the category, flavor, packaging type, and brand. The Free Drawing methodology proved to be an alternative to Free Listing to trace adolescents' consumption of dairy products.