A Nursery-Based Cooking Skills Programme with Parents and Children Reduced Food Fussiness and Increased Willingness to Try Vegetables: A Quasi-Experimental Study

Abstract

Children’s fussy eating is associated with a reduced vegetable intake. This quasi-experimental study evaluated “Big Chef Little Chef” (BCLC), a nursery-based cooking skills programme aimed at reducing food fussiness and increasing willingness to try green vegetables by incorporating repeated exposure and sensory learning. Parent and child (3–5 years) dyads attended BCLC for four/1.5 h weekly sessions. A comparison group was recruited after BCLC completion and attended a single education session at week 1. A questionnaire measured food fussiness at week 1 and week 4. At week 4, all children were offered six green vegetables (raw and cooked) and an average score (1 = did not try; 2 = tried it/ate some; 3 = ate it all) was calculated for willingness to try vegetables. In total, 121 dyads (intervention: n = 64; comparison: n = 57) participated. The food fussiness score (1 min–5 max) in the intervention group decreased significantly from 3.0 to 2.6 (p < 0.01) between time points, while there was no change in the comparison group (3.1 (week 1) and 3.0 (week 4)). The intervention group was more willing to try green vegetables with significantly higher (p < 0.001) median scores for raw and cooked vegetables (2.5 for both) compared with the comparison group (2.0 and 1.7, respectively). The BCLC reduced food fussiness and increased willingness to try green vegetables.

Interventions for Picky Eaters among Typically Developed Children—A Scoping Review

“…As shown in Table 2 , there are two types of interventions found: single-component and multi-component interventions. A total of thirteen studies used single-component intervention [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 39 , 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ], while the remaining three adopted multi-component intervention [ 40 , 41 , 42 ].…”

“…The component approaches used in the 13 single-component studies were sensory, nutrition, and parenting. The sensory component approach (54%) [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ] is the most common approach among the 13 studies, followed by the nutrition component approach (38%) [ 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ] and the parenting component approach (8%) [ 39 ]. The sensory component provides the focal point for repeated exposure and sensory play [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ].…”

“…The sensory component approach (54%) [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ] is the most common approach among the 13 studies, followed by the nutrition component approach (38%) [ 46 , 47 , 48 , 49 , 50 ] and the parenting component approach (8%) [ 39 ]. The sensory component provides the focal point for repeated exposure and sensory play [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 ]. In the sensory play, children are allowed to touch, observe, and taste the foods presented as they please.…”

“…Two of the eight studies evaluated children’s PE behaviour (one used the sensory component approach, and one used the parenting component approach). Only the intervention with the sensory component approach reduced the PE behaviour score [ 36 ], while the intervention with the parenting component approach showed no significant difference [ 39 ]. Another study tested children’s consumption of vegetables to demonstrate the intervention’s effectiveness (the sensory component approach).…”

“…These factors have been incorporated into intervention programmes aimed at assisting PE children. Using strategies, such as repeated exposure (taste and texture) and multisensory plays, can help change children’s taste preferences and encourage them to like certain foods more [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ]. In addition, social and environmental factors are incorporated into PE children’s intervention programs by examining the role of parents, peers, and social interaction [ 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ].…”