Improving Willingness to Try Fruits and Vegetables Among Low-Income Children Through Use of Characters

Abstract

Purpose: Low-income children are disproportionately affected by high rates of food insecurity and obesity, placing them at risk for poor health outcomes. Diets that are rich in fruits and vegetables (FV) are associated with health benefits such as reducing the risk of obesity. Despite these benefits, American children do not consume nationally recommended amounts of fruits (63%) and vegetables (90%) per day. Data reveal that young children exhibit increased food neophobia toward vegetables. One way to decrease food neophobia is to introduce FV to young children via recipe tasting. The purpose of the study was to increase willingness to try FV among low-income children using live characters at Summer Food Service Program Sites. Methods: The study design was a small-scale pilot study to conduct taste tests of recipes with 125 low-income children. Researchers created recipe-tasting stations at two different sites. At Site 1, characters promoting FV characters were present at the recipe-tasting station. At Site 2, researchers presented recipes without characters being present. Taste tests were conducted once per week for a period of 4 weeks using two previously validated instruments, Taste Test Tool and the Taste and Rate Questionnaire. Results: Results demonstrated that introducing FV recipes with characters showed a trend toward increasing willingness to try FV among low-income children. Data also suggested that low-income children had limited exposure to specific FV before recipe tastings. Conclusion: The use of characters is a promising approach to increase willingness to try FV among low-income children.

Improving the school food environment for the prevention of childhood obesity: What works and what doesn't

“…However, the meta‐analysis showed no statistically significant difference in vegetable intake alone. A low intake of vegetables among children could be linked to a low taste acceptability due to lack of exposure at an early age 140 . Increased meal palatability through the involvement of chefs who developed tasty, attractive, and healthy foods could increase the likelihood of healthy food acceptance by children, which could lead to an increase in fruit and vegetable intake and a decrease in BMI 48 .…”

“…A low intake of vegetables among children could be linked to a low taste acceptability due to lack of exposure at an early age. 140 Increased meal palatability through the involvement of chefs who developed tasty, attractive, and healthy foods could increase the likelihood of healthy food acceptance by children, which could lead to an increase in fruit and vegetable intake and a decrease in BMI. 48 However, healthy meal alternatives within schools and their effect on weight and health may not be sustainable if there is an unhealthy food environment around schools competing with the healthy strategies.…”

Practical School Nutrition Program May Reduce Food Neophobia

“…Two other meta-analyses suggest that the particular strategies matter, one focused on experiential learning strategies [24] and the other focused on teacher-delivered programs [25]. The most current research on children's food neophobia and increasing intake of fruits and vegetables in school-based programs investigates recipe tastings with characters [26], mindfulness activities [27], culinary skills, sensory and nutrition education, food prep, gardening, and going beyond the school setting including the family [28], a game-based program [29], seasonal offerings [30], and using intervention mapping protocol when designing initiatives [31]. Overall, the evidence of previous studies suggests that it is worth exploring nutrition interventions embedded in schools.…”

Weekday and Weekend Differences in Eating Habits, Physical Activity and Screen Time Behavior among a Sample of Primary School Children: The “Seven Days for My Health” Project

“…Moreover, our results showed higher consumption of fruit during the weekend, while vegetables are eaten more during the week. Again, this could be a byproduct of the school canteen’s influence [ 47 ] and could also be linked to the fact that children tend to prefer fruits over vegetables [ 48 ].…”