The experiences of New Zealand-based children in consuming fruits and vegetables

Dresler, Emma; Whitehead, Dean; Mather, Aimee

doi:10.1108/he-08-2016-0032

Cited by 6 publications

(8 citation statements)

References 23 publications

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“…In addition, the children in this study demonstrated a higher preference for fruits as compared to vegetables. This finding is supported by Dresler et al ( 30 ), which reported that children preferred mild and sweet vegetables such as carrots, corns, potatoes, broccolis and cauliflowers. This factor may also influence the children’s preferences in consuming more fruits compared to vegetables owing to the bitter taste of vegetables ( 17 ).…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Preference, Attitude, Recognition and Knowledge of Fruits and Vegetables Intake Among Malay Children

Ali

Nazir

Manaf

2020

MJMS

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Background The low consumption of fruits and vegetables among children is a global challenge. Foods recognition, nutrition knowledge and attitude are factors that influence children’s dietary practices. This study aims to assess the preference, attitude, recognition and knowledge of fruits and vegetables intake among Malay children. Methods A cross-sectional study was conducted among Malay children from five primary schools in Kuala Lumpur using self-administered questionnaires. Results A total of 134 Malay children (70 males and 64 females) with a mean (SD) age of 10.3 (1.0) years were recruited. Majority of the children had a father (61.9%) and a mother (56.0%) with secondary school education and earned below RM3,900 (70.9%) per month. The most preferred fruits and vegetable were bananas (91.9%) and carrots (71.4%), while the most recognised was oranges (100.0%) and tomatoes (96.3%). The children demonstrated an overall moderate level of attitude, recognition and knowledge with mean (SD) scores of 70.3 (19.9), 76.8 (18.1) and 73.6 (17.5), respectively, towards fruits and vegetables intake. Majority of the children (53.0%) were not aware of the daily recommended servings of fruits and vegetables, while 40.0% of children expressed a low attitude towards eating a variety of fruits and vegetables. The willingness to try a new type of vegetables and consume more vegetables was lower (68.7%) compared to fruits (75.4%). Conclusion The preferences and recognition of fruits were higher compared to vegetables among the children. The children demonstrated a moderate level of attitude, recognition and knowledge towards fruits and vegetables consumption. Efforts to educate children on the recommended number of servings per day and improve their acceptability of vegetables should be implemented to promote the increase in fruits and vegetables consumption among children.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 64%

Preference, Attitude, Recognition and Knowledge of Fruits and Vegetables Intake Among Malay Children

Ali

Nazir

Manaf

2020

MJMS

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“…The use of fun, creative, and experiential learning was found to positively influence children’s attitude to F&V. This supports our previous work that found attitude was a key driver of F&V consumption among WA children [ 28 ]. In their study of children in rural New Zealand, Dresler et al recommended child-focused F&V campaigns should utilize the compelling techniques that are used by large companies to emphasise fun, energy, and colour of the produce [ 41 ]. In addition, cartoons depicting characters choosing healthy food have demonstrated a shift in children’s food choices to healthier options [ 42 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, many children have been reported to possess limited food literacy skills, including poor awareness of what constitutes healthy food choices and limited preparation skills. School programs should be linked with the curriculum, utilise media [ 41 ], and include experiential learning to enhance skills [ 28 ]. The development and possession of food skills among children and adolescents translates to favourable health behaviours, and thus, improved dietary quality [ 52 ] and has been shown to decrease children’s requests for energy dense nutrient poor foods, which contribute to obesity [ 52 ].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Strategies to Address the Complex Challenge of Improving Regional and Remote Children’s Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

et al. 2018

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Fruit and vegetables (F&V) are imperative for good health, yet less than one per cent of Australian children consume these food groups in sufficient quantities. As guided by Social Cognitive Theory (SCT), this paper aimed to: (i) understand key informant perspectives of the amount, types and quality of F&V consumed by rural and remote Western Australian (WA) children; and, (ii) determine strategies that could increase F&V consumption among rural and remote WA children. This qualitative study included 20 semi-structured interviews with health, school/youth and food supply workers, focusing on topics including: quantity and type of F&V consumed and strategies to increase children’s consumption. A thematic analysis was conducted using NVivo qualitative data analysis software (Version 10, 2014. QSR International Pty Ltd., Doncaster, Victoria, Australia). Key informants reported children consumed energy-dense nutrient-poor foods in place of F&V. Strategy themes included: using relevant motivators for children to increase their preference for F&V (i.e., gaming approach, SCT construct of ‘expectations’); empowering community-driven initiatives (i.e., kitchen gardens, SCT construct of ‘environment’); increasing food literacy across settings (i.e., food literacy skills, SCT construct of ‘behavioural capacity’); developing salient messages and cooking tips that resonate with parents (i.e., parent newsletters, SCT construct of ‘self-control’); increasing F&V availability, safety, and convenience (i.e., school provision); and, considering the impact of role models that extend beyond the family (i.e., relatable role models, SCT construct of ‘observational learning’). Overall, a comprehensive strategy that incorporates relevant motivators for children and families, supports local initiatives, reinforces the range of role models that are involved with children and creates healthier environments, is required to increase F&V consumption among children.

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“…By the age of 6 years, environmental factors that influence children's decision making are already set (101) . Both international (101,102) and New Zealand (103) studies have found that children do have good knowledge about the general healthiness of foods and are able to identify fruits and vegetables as being healthier compared with packaged food items such as chips (crisps) and sweets. Knowledge of healthy foods does not necessarily influence food preferences; this was highlighted in New Zealand, where children from the Manawatu Region were asked to construct a 'healthy' lunchbox and then construct their 'dream' lunchbox (104) .…”

Section: Socio-cultural Environmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

Examining the New Zealand school food environment: what needs to change?

2022

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Habitual dietary intakes and nutrition behaviours developed during childhood and adolescence pave the way for similar behaviours to manifest in adulthood. Childhood obesity rates have now reached a point where one in six children globally are classified as overweight or obese. Schools have the unique ability to reach almost all children during key developmental stages making them an ideal setting for influencing children’s nutrition behaviours. Evidence suggests the school food environment is not always conducive to healthy food choices and may be obesogenic. The aim of this narrative review is to explore factors that influence the healthy food and drink environment in and around schools in New Zealand. The review focussed on evidence from New Zealand and Australia given the close resemblance in education systems and school food guidance. Using the Analysis Grid for Environments Linked to Obesity (ANGELO) framework, the school food environment was categorised into the following domains: economic, political, physical, and socio-cultural factors. Findings suggest that food policies are not utilised within schools, and guidelines to improve the school food environment are not well implemented. Canteen profit-models, lack of staff support and resources, and higher availability of low-cost unhealthy foods are among barriers that hinder implementation. This review highlights recommendations from existing evidence including canteen pricing strategies, restriction of unhealthy foods, and using peer-modelling in a time-scarce curriculum to improve the school food environment. Key areas for improvement, opportunities to enhance policy implementation, and untapped avenues to improve the food and nutrition behaviours of children are highlighted.

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The experiences of New Zealand-based children in consuming fruits and vegetables

Cited by 6 publications

References 23 publications

Preference, Attitude, Recognition and Knowledge of Fruits and Vegetables Intake Among Malay Children

Preference, Attitude, Recognition and Knowledge of Fruits and Vegetables Intake Among Malay Children

Strategies to Address the Complex Challenge of Improving Regional and Remote Children’s Fruit and Vegetable Consumption

Examining the New Zealand school food environment: what needs to change?

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