Nutrition education strategies to promote vegetable consumption in preschool children: the Veggies4myHeart project

Abstract

Objective: To test the efficacy of three nutrition education strategies on the intake of different vegetables in preschool children. Design: This is an experimental study conducted in four Portuguese preschools. The intervention consisted of 20-min educational sessions, once a week, for 5 weeks, with one of the following randomised educational strategies: Portuguese Food Wheel Guide (control), digital game, storybook, storybook and reward (stickers). All groups had repeated exposure to vegetables in all sessions. A pre- and post-test were conducted to determine vegetable intake, and a 6-month follow-up was realised. Setting: Preschools of Leiria district, Portugal. Participants: A sample of 162 children aged 3 to 6 years. All eligible children attending the preschools were invited to participate. Results: All interventions tested were effective in increasing vegetable consumption both in the short and medium term, without statistically significant differences, compared to the control group. Stickers were more effective in the short term than in the medium term. Conclusions: The nutritional education strategies associated with repeated exposure tested in this study were effective in promoting vegetable consumption in preschool children. The use of stickers may be a valid strategy to promote the consumption of vegetables less recognised by children.

Combined of favorite cartoon stickers and fruit juices to reduce premedication anxiety in preschool children in the absence of parents

“…After 3 minutes arrived in the holding area, children were given various stickers to choose from, and quite a few children accepted what they chose gladly at the very start, Interestingly, at the time of oral midazolam administration, some of them cried loudly or refused vehemently, which was the same as the ndings of the study about the implementation of nutrition education strategies to promote vegetable consumption in preschool children [15]. In that study, the use of stickers was shown advantage in the short term, but it was not effective subsequently.…”

“…A Portugal study found that preschool children who received a sticker as a reward could promote vegetable consumption [15]. Another study reported that pediatric dentists used a sticker as one of the rewards to encourage their young patients [16].…”

Translating and Testing a Digital Game Promoting Vegetable Consumption in Young Children: Usability Study

“…The first study to test the Veggies4myHeart video game was conducted in Portugal. In a preschool, the video game combined with repeated tasting was compared with the use of a storybook and repeated tasting with or without sticker rewards and a control group [ 17 ]. After the intervention and at a 6-month follow-up, children in all groups, including the control group, had increased their vegetable consumption.…”

“…The Veggies4myHeart digital game was developed by a team of researchers at the Polytechnic of Leiria in Portugal [ 17 ]. The digital game was designed for preschool children aged 3-6 years and consists of 5 mini games, each related to one of the following vegetables: carrot, tomato, lettuce, cucumber, and red cabbage.…”

“…The “Veggies4myHeart” digital game was developed in Portugal and consists of 5 mini games, each featuring a vegetable superhero. It was successfully tested with children aged 3-6 years and, when combined with exposure through vegetable tasting, led to an increase in vegetable consumption [ 17 ].…”