No full-text available
To read the full-text of this research,
you can request a copy directly from the authors.
Play with your food! Sensory play is associated with tasting of fruits and vegetables in preschool children
Abstract
The objective of the current study was to ascertain whether taking part in a sensory play activity with real fruits and vegetables (FV) can encourage tasting in preschool children, compared to a non-food activity or visual exposure to the activity. Three to four year old pre-school children (N = 62) were recruited from three preschool nursery classes from a school in Northamptonshire, UK. A between participants experimental study was conducted with each class assigned to one of three conditions; sensory FV play, sensory non-food play and visual FV exposure. Parental report of several baseline variables were taken; child baseline liking of the foods used in the study, parental and child FV consumption (portions/day), child neophobia and child tactile sensitivity. Outcome measures were the number of fruits and vegetables tasted in a post experiment taste test which featured (n = 5) or did not feature (n = 3) in the task. Analyses of covariance controlling for food neophobia and baseline liking of foods, showed that after the activity children in the sensory FV play condition tried more FV than both children in the non-food sensory play task (p < 0.001) and children in the visual FV exposure task (p < 0.001). This was true not only for five foods used in the activity (p < 0.001), but also three foods that were not used in the activity (p < 0.05). Sensory play activities using fruits and vegetables may encourage FV tasting in preschool children more than non food play or visual exposure alone. Long term intervention studies need to be carried out to see if these effects can be sustained over time.
... [132][133][134] In addition, knowledge about the sensory characteristics of foods can be gained through direct contact (ie, touching, smelling, playing with foods), which can also increase the willingness to try unfamiliar fruits and vegetables. [135][136][137] Concerning nutritional knowledge, studies show that although 4-year-old children can categorize food as unhealthy, they are unable to comprehend the effects of food healthiness on the body nor use this ability to make informed food choices. 130 Studies have shown that formal operational thought is correlated with the ability to understand abstract concepts in science. ...
... 71,87,88,204,205 During this development period, simple strategies to promote functional food literacy competencies (eg, food categorization, food-related knowledge, and numeracy skills) can be implemented. This can be easily achieved at home by everyday activities, such as exposure and direct contact with foods, [135][136][137] engagement with food preparation at home and school, 88,146 reading books, 131 playing card games, or talking about money to purchase foods. 162 Children' socialization in preschool offers additional opportunities to promote a healthy food environment and to foster the development of many relational and functional food literacy competencies. ...
... School activities that promote familiarity with foods and the acquisition of food-related knowledge should be prioritized, including exposure to diverse foods, sensory games with foods, and gardening programs. 87,135,204,206 In addition, the time available for eating is another characteristic of the school food environment that can influence children and adolescents' ability to engage in mindful eating practices: time constraints can discourage mindful eating and promote the consumption of unhealthy foods. 207,208 Emphasis on functional food literacy competencies should start once children develop logical thinking, around 6 years of age (Table 1). ...
Food literacy has emerged as a key individual trait to promote the transformation of food systems toward healthy and sustainable diets. Childhood and adolescence are key periods for establishing the foundations of eating habits. Different food literacy competencies are acquired as children develop different cognitive abilities, skills, and experiences, contributing to the development of critical tools that allow them to navigate a complex food system. Thus, the design and implementation of programs to support the development of food literacy from early childhood can contribute to healthier and more sustainable eating habits. In this context, the aim of the present narrative review is to provide an in-depth description of how different food literacy competencies are developed in childhood and adolescence, integrating the extensive body of evidence on cognitive, social, and food-related development. Implications for the development of multisectoral strategies to target the multidimensional nature of food literacy and promote the development of the 3 types of competencies (relational, functional, and critical) are discussed.
... There is a considerable amount of research attesting to the importance of adding an element of non-taste sensory exposure to foster children's familiarisation with fruits and vegetables. [18][19][20][21] Because the pressure to try novel and disliked foods can have a negative impact on consumption, non-taste sensory activities appear to be a viable alternative. Activities involving sensory experiences, such as visual and olfactory exposure and tactile play, have been successfully employed to overcome neophobic reactions among children and increase their willingness to taste fruits and vegetables. ...
... Activities involving sensory experiences, such as visual and olfactory exposure and tactile play, have been successfully employed to overcome neophobic reactions among children and increase their willingness to taste fruits and vegetables. 18,[22][23][24][25] The intervention presented here was designed considering three self-efficacy constructs: (1) verbal persuasion; ...
... First, picture book reading and sensory activities were reported by families as effective strategies to increase children's interest in tasting new and disliked vegetables and spices, thus corroborating with the current literature on approaches to decrease food neophobia. 18,23 Second, involving children in food preparation and cooking was also reported by the participants as successful in increasing children's willingness to taste new foods. This effect was mainly a result of exposure to the respective foods and a sense of capability to perform an 'adult task' (in the parents' words). ...
Background
Childhood obesity rates have been rapidly increasing worldwide. Several actions to reduce this trend have addressed maternal feeding practices. However, research reports an unwillingness to taste healthful foods expressed by children and fathers, which represents a major obstacle to a healthy diet in the family household. The present study aims to propose and qualitatively evaluate an intervention to increase fathers' involvement with their families' healthy eating through exposure to new/disliked healthy foods.
Methods
Fifteen Danish families took part in a 4‐week online intervention involving picture book reading, a sensory experience session and the cooking of four recipes with four targeted vegetables (celeriac, Brussels sprouts, spinach and kale) and two spices (turmeric and ginger). Interviews were conducted with the families and the content was analysed through a blended or abductive approach.
Results
Participating in the activities motivated children and fathers to try new vegetables and spices, and increased fathers' sense of self‐efficacy toward cooking, tasting new foods and healthy feeding. For the family, the intervention acted as a trigger to consume a higher variety of vegetables and spices and prompted feelings of “food joy”. The outcomes observed are of importance considering the relatively low cost and the remote approach of the intervention.
Conclusions
The results highlight the fact that fathers play an important role in the home food environment. We conclude that fathers should be included to a higher extent in food and nutrition strategies aimed at promoting healthy weight development in their children.
... Almost all the identified studies included a control group, except for Caton et al. [31] and Nekitsing et al. [35]. The shortest intervention duration for any given study was one day [32], while the longest was fifteen months [42]. The duration of the interventions was determined by the types of interventions and the objectives of each study. ...
... Coulthard and Sealy. 2017 [32] None (CFNS was used as an outcome) ...
... However, PE evaluation was used as a confounding factor or an outcome measure in eight of the eleven studies to assess the efficacy of the interventions. The instrument used for the assessment was the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) [31,37,39,41,42], the modified version of Carruth, et al. [46,51], the Lifestyle Behaviour Checklist (LBC) [39] and the Child Food Neophobia Scale (CFNS) [32,33,37,42], which were carried out by parents of the subjects. ...
Picky eating in children is often a major source of concern for many parents and caregivers. Picky eaters (PEs) consume limited foods, demonstrate food aversion, and have a limited food repertoire, which hinders their growth and health. These behaviours are common in children with special health care needs despite the rise in typically developing children. This leads to less attention being given to intervention programmes for typically developing children. Therefore, this scoping review aims to investigate the key concept of an existing intervention programme for PE among typically developing children, primarily on the types and approaches selected. A thorough literature search was conducted on three primary databases (PubMed, Emerald In-sight, and Web of Science) using predefined keywords. The literature was then appraised using the Joanna Briggs Institute’s guidelines and protocols, and the PRISMScR checklist. Inclusion and exclusion criteria were also specified in the screening procedure. Results showed that the majority of the interventions in these studies were single-component interventions, with the sensory approach being the type that was most frequently utilised, followed by the nutrition approach and parenting approach. Single and multiple intervention components improved the assessed outcome, with a note that other components may or may not show a similar outcome, as they were not assessed in the single-component intervention. Given the evidence that picky eating is influenced by various factors, a multi-component intervention can provide a substantial impact on future programmes. In addition, defining picky eaters using standardised tools is also essential for a more inclusive subject selection.
... Food neophobia was negatively associated with liking many food items, particularly strong-tasting (39,49) and unfamiliar/novel foods (47,48,73,74) in children and adolescents (33,(37)(38)(39)42,50,(75)(76)(77)(78)(79)(80)(81)(82) and in adults (5,18,40,(47)(48)(49)57,69,73,79,(83)(84)(85) . In large-scale research (n 8906) including eight different studies conducted in five countries, food neophobia was inversely associated with the liking of the majority of the 219 considered food and beverage items (73) . ...
... Among food groups, studies consistently indicate that food neophobia is negatively related to the liking of fruits and/or vegetables in children and adolescents (39,42,60,71,75,77,78,89) and also in adults (5,49,56,57,79,83,84,90,91) . Laureati et al. (80) found that food neophobia was inversely correlated with the liking of both vegetables and some fruits among Italian children and reported that children's liking scores for vegetables significantly decreased with increasing levels of food neophobia, but the liking scores for fruits were stable according to the children's levels of food neophobia. ...
... In this respect, the relationship between vegetables and fruits and neophobia has been revealed in many studies. Most of such studies have consistently shown that children or adolescents with higher levels of food neophobia consume fruits and vegetables (FV) less frequently (8,15,(20)(21)(22)96,(104)(105)(106) and in lower amounts (7,15,78,(107)(108)(109)(110)(111) . They also have a lower variety of FV in their diets (112) . ...
Food neophobia is defined as the unwillingness to taste new foods and the avoidance of unfamiliar foods. This eating behaviour is a complex issue, and both genetic and environmental factors play a role in it. The aim of this review is to understand its relationships with dietary behaviours throughout the life span and to examine the impact of interventions on food neophobia. A literature search was performed using the PubMed, Web of Science, Cochrane Library, and ScienceDirect databases. As a result of the screening, a total of 139 studies, 17 of which were intervention studies, were included in this review. According to current evidence, food neophobia is negatively associated with the acceptance of not only novel/unfamiliar foods but also familiar foods. Many studies have shown that food neophobia is negatively associated with the hedonics and consumption of core foods, especially vegetables and fruits. Individuals with higher levels of food neophobia are less familiar with many foods, but familiarity is a prominent motivator in food choices for these individuals. Therefore, it may be considered a barrier limiting diet quality and this trend is similar for both children and adults. However, food neophobia is not an unchangeable personality trait. Intervention studies have pointed out that educational programs and food-related activities that increase familiarity and exposure to foods and create positive attitudes toward and positive experiences with foods can reduce food neophobia. The results highlight that people with high food neophobia need more support to improve their diets and the quality of dietary behaviour.
... 8 Experiences with this method have contributed to increase intake of fruits and vegetables, as children, by having more contact with foods and participating in preparations, developed culinary skills and started eating a larger variety of foods. [9][10][11] When stimulated by the activities developed with the Sapere method in the school, the children also began to participate in food preparation at home and were more willing to taste new foods. In addition, activities such as eating in group contributed to encourage the more reluctant children to try new foods. ...
... The sample size used, a positive factor in this study, was greater than the samples of Brazilian studies that developed interventions on food and nutrition education with preschoolers 20,21 and in international studies that applied the sensory method in nutritional interventions with early education children. [9][10][11] This is the first time that a study used sensory workshops based on the Sapere method with Furthermore, the activities developed do not require sophisticated resources, are low cost and can be easily applied in schools by teachers of early childhood education. Thus, sensory workshops are promising alternatives for nutritional education, familiarization with varied diets, and formation of healthy eating habits at early ages. ...
Introdução: Oficinas sensoriais baseadas no Método Sapere têm apresentado resultados promissores na redução da neofobia e na promoção da alimentação saudável em pré-escolares. Objetivo: Avaliar o efeito de intervenção para estimular o consumo de frutas e hortaliças em pré-escolares com o desenvolvimento de oficinas sensoriais. Métodos: Estudo de intervenção não randomizado realizado em duas escolas públicas de educação infantil do Rio de Janeiro em 2018. Participaram 270 pré-escolares de 4 a 6 anos de idade (91: grupo controle e 179: grupo intervenção). A intervenção foi constituída por cinco oficinas sensoriais utilizando feijão, frutas e hortaliças. O consumo de hortaliças, frutas, leguminosas e alimentos relacionados à alimentação não saudável foi avaliado antes e depois da intervenção utilizando questionário de frequência alimentar qualitativo. A condição de peso foi classificada com base no índice de massa corporal para a idade. Resultados: O resultado mais importante foi maior redução da rejeição ao feijão (13% vs. 5%; p<0,01) e às hortaliças (66% vs. 60%; p=0,008) no grupo intervenção, em comparação com o controle, após as oficinas sensoriais. De modo geral, após a intervenção não foram encontradas mudanças significativas nos hábitos alimentares das crianças; entretanto, assinala-se que as crianças estudadas apresentavam consumo elevado de frutas e hortaliças antes da intervenção, o que deixou pouco espaço para incrementos na ingestão desses alimentos. Conclusão: As experiências sensoriais como estratégia para educação alimentar foram bem recebidas pelas crianças e mostraram-se adequadas para provocar mudanças positivas nos hábitos alimentares de pré-escolares.
... Additionally, high food neophobia -characterized by a reluctance to try unfamiliar foods -was observed in 25.1% of children aged 12-36 months in Hunan Province. Food neophobia not only restricts an individual's food choices, but also diminishes overall food intake (9). Previous research has demonstrated that educational interventions utilizing storybooks and sensory play can effectively reduce food neophobia and increase consumption of unfamiliar vegetables among preschool children (10)(11). ...
The concept of Food Education (食育, Shiokuiku), first proposed by Japanese researcher Sagen Ishizuka in 1861, has evolved globally over the years, encompassing food knowledge, healthy dietary behaviors, food preparation, and food safety. Professor Li Lite introduced this concept to China in 2006. This article specifically addresses food education for infants and young children.
In 2022, the National Health Commission of China issued Guidelines on Feeding and Nutrition of Infants and Young Children in Nursery Institutions. These guidelines delineate the scope of Food Education for infants and young children as encompassing food cognition, eating behaviors, and dietary culture.
Early childhood represents a critical period for establishing food preferences and dietary habits. Food education plays a pivotal role in familiarizing infants and young children with new foods and promoting healthy eating patterns. Without structured food education, young children are more susceptible to developing food neophobia and other unhealthy eating habits.
We propose strategies to enhance Food Education for infants and young children in China by establishing a comprehensive food education system that leverages multiple channels including families, nursery institutions, early childhood education institutions, and healthcare facilities. Additionally, we emphasize the need for targeted research on food education specifically designed for this age group.
... According to the literature, feeding is also directly related to the person's multisensory experiences. Hence, consuming foods with varied forms, textures, flavors, and smells can be aversive for those with sensory sensitivity (29) . This study found that children with signs of sensory risk had more feeding difficulties than others, agreeing with studies that show an association between food rejection and the ability to perceive subtle sensory changes in foods (17,23,30) . ...
Purpose To verify the association between signs of feeding difficulties in typical children and sociodemographic and economic aspects, parental age and education level, and family perception of feeding difficulties.
Methods Observational, analytical, cross-sectional study with a probabilistic sample of 113 children aged 2 years to 5 years and 11 months, registered at the Unified Health System in a town in inland Minas Gerais, Brazil. The study applied a sample characterization questionnaire, the Brazilian Child Feeding Scale (EBAI), and the Brazilian Economic Classification Criteria (CCEB) and performed descriptive, univariate, and multivariate analyses with multiple logistic regression.
Results Children aged 2 and 3 years tended to have more feeding difficulties (p = 0.002) than older children. Preterm children were 3.64 times more likely to have feeding difficulties (p = 0.033) than their peers. Children with signs of feeding difficulties had greater difficulty in food introduction (p = 0.007), ate poorly until 2 years old (p = 0.014), and were 3.7 times more likely to have signs of sensory changes (p = 0.001) than the others.
Conclusion Children aged 2 and 3 years tend to have more feeding difficulties than older ones. Prematurity, difficulty in introducing foods, and sensory changes are associated with childhood feeding difficulties.
Keywords: Feeding Behavior; Sociodemographic Factors; Food Fussiness; Child Nutrition; Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences
... Segundo a literatura, o ato de alimentar também está diretamente relacionado as entradas multissensoriais do indivíduo e para aqueles com sensibilidades sensoriais, ingerir alimentos com variações de forma, texturas, sabores, cheiros, pode ser aversivo (29) . Neste estudo foi encontrado que crianças com sinais de sinais de risco para alterações sensoriais apresentaram mais dificuldade alimentar do que as demais, o que corrobora com estudos que mostram associação entre a capacidade de perceber pequenas mudanças sensoriais nos alimentos e à rejeição alimentar (17,23,30) . ...
Purpose To verify the association between signs of feeding difficulties in typical children and sociodemographic and economic aspects, parental age and education level, and family perception of feeding difficulties.
Methods Observational, analytical, cross-sectional study with a probabilistic sample of 113 children aged 2 years to 5 years and 11 months, registered at the Unified Health System in a town in inland Minas Gerais, Brazil. The study applied a sample characterization questionnaire, the Brazilian Child Feeding Scale (EBAI), and the Brazilian Economic Classification Criteria (CCEB) and performed descriptive, univariate, and multivariate analyses with multiple logistic regression.
Results Children aged 2 and 3 years tended to have more feeding difficulties (p = 0.002) than older children. Preterm children were 3.64 times more likely to have feeding difficulties (p = 0.033) than their peers. Children with signs of feeding difficulties had greater difficulty in food introduction (p = 0.007), ate poorly until 2 years old (p = 0.014), and were 3.7 times more likely to have signs of sensory changes (p = 0.001) than the others.
Conclusion Children aged 2 and 3 years tend to have more feeding difficulties than older ones. Prematurity, difficulty in introducing foods, and sensory changes are associated with childhood feeding difficulties.
Keywords: Feeding Behavior; Sociodemographic Factors; Food Fussiness; Child Nutrition; Speech, Language and Hearing Sciences
... Several strategies were willingness to try tests [141], exposure and reward tests [129], and sensory education programs [150]. Several studies showed that food neophobia and pickiness were decreased by visual exposure to vegetables [151], increasing the desired effect when visual, tactile and sensory exposure were considered [152]. ...
Food neophobia and pickiness are the resistance or refusal to eat and/or avoid trying new foods due to a strong reaction of fear towards the food or an entire group of foods. This systematic review aims to assess evidence on the risk factors and effects of food neophobia and picky eating in children and adolescents, giving elements to avoid the lack of some foods that can cause nutritional deficiencies, leading to future pathologies when they are adults. A systematic literature search was performed in Medlars Online International Literature (MEDLINE) via Pubmed and EBSCOhost, LILACS and IBECS via Virtual Health Library (VHL), Scopus, and Google Scholar. MeSH terms used were: ((food neophobia [Title/Abstract]) OR (picky eating [Title/Abstract]) OR (food selectivity [Title/Abstract])) NOT ((anorexia nervosa [MeSH Terms]) OR (bariatric surgery [MeSH Terms]) OR (avoidant restrictive food intake disorder [MeSH Terms]) OR (autism spectrum disorder [MeSH Terms])). One hundred and forty-two (n = 142) articles were selected for children and adolescents (0–18 years old). They were structured according to contents: prevalence, risk factors, consequences, strategies and treatment. The studies showed a prevalence of the need for intervention on modifiable risk factors. Food neophobia and pickiness developed in childhood are conditioned by risk factors related to biological, social, and environmental characteristics, as well as family education and skills. Strategies to minimize or avoid these disorders should be aimed at implementing healthy habits at these levels.
... Playful uses of V&F are potentially effective ways for children to approach new or challenging V&F with less anxiety. This was seen in studies with younger children, in which sensory play or multisensory discoveries encouraged the tasting of more varieties of V&F and broadened the possibility of different food experiences (Coe et al., 2024;Coulthard & Sealy, 2017). Therefore, the aspect of playfulness should be further explored also in older children, such as 10-to 12-year-olds, and schools could offer playful sensory exploration activities as part of their efforts to promote healthy food habits among their students. ...
... Which demonstrated that sensory play, including non-food sensory activities, significantly improved children's willingness to try vegetables and fruits (p<0.001) (4). ...
Introduction: Picky eating in children is a widespread issue that can affect growth and development. Factors contributing to picky eating include parental influence, early feeding practices, and environmental conditions. Addressing picky eating behavior is crucial to prevent long-term negative effects on children's nutrition and health. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of various interventions, such as sensory education, parent training, oral interventions, massage, and diet adjustments, in improving picky eating behavior in children. Method: A review of 15 studies published between 2013 and 2023 was conducted, focusing on intervention programs for children aged 1-6 years. The studies were selected from databases like PubMed, Science Direct, and Google Scholar. Result: Sensory education helped reduce food rejection by familiarizing children with new foods. Parent training, including cooking classes and the Baby Led Weaning (BLW) method, effectively reduced picky eating. Oral interventions, such as herbal remedies and appetite-enhancing supplements, showed positive outcomes. Massage techniques like Tui Na and tailored dietary plans also contributed to better eating habits in both underweight and overweight children. Conclusion: Interventions including sensory education, parental training, oral treatments, massage, and diet modifications can significantly improve eating behaviors in picky eater children, promoting healthier nutrition and growth.
... For example, this study highlighted that a common OT practice to decrease picky eating might involve encouraging children to play with food (eg, painting with berries) to promote nontaste sensory exposures. 6,54,55 While this may improve picky eating and consumption of healthy foods, 55 food waste is a concern for children in Head Start who may experience food insecurity. 56 In addition, the OT recommended removing the specific number of exposures likely needed to impact children's preference/consumption of healthy foods because of the wide variation of children's needs. ...
... Given the current trends to use Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) to address maternal and child health challenges [78,83] and contribute towards the Sustainable Development Goals, previous research has explored how ICTs can offer opportunities to meet children's development needs by monitoring children's growth [59], promoting healthy snacking [95], and enhancing caregiver's nutritional knowledge [3,107] to potentially improve IYCF practices [29]. Leveraging the crucial role of play in childhood development [98] and the potential benefits of tactile play to encourage healthy nutrition [22,23], previous research has explored the use of tangible user interfaces (TUIs) to facilitate a more playful mealtime experience for preschool children and their families [67], and to support playful eating by using tableware devices to improve children's daily eating habits [55]. While many of these digital health interventions have the potential to enhance IYCF practices, most of them were implemented in high-resource settings or have been designed for children older than two years old. ...
Complementary feeding is crucial to promote healthy nutrition in infant and young children (IYC) and prevent malnutrition. Mothers, families, and healthcare professionals (HCPs) are crucial in helping IYC develop healthy eating habits. However, limited access to adequate nutritional information and health services impacts children’s nutrition, especially in low-resource settings. Technology opens up opportunities to address these challenges and potentially improve IYC feeding practices. Taking a co-design approach, we conducted low-fidelity prototyping workshops with caregivers and HCPs to explore the potential of tangible interfaces to facilitate play and promote healthy nutrition for IYC in two low-resource healthcare settings in Peru. Participants envisioned diverse tangible objects and interactions that could augment the waiting spaces of the healthcare centres, encouraging play and enhancing children’s and caregivers’ experiences, while promoting healthy nutrition and dietary diversity. We outline design opportunities to facilitate tangible play, shared playful experiences, and promote healthy nutrition in low-resource healthcare settings.
... give to baby to self-feed and without mess. However, playing with food, creating mess, and exploring different textures and tastes is an important part of learning to eat and enjoy a range of foods (Coulthard & Sealy, 2017;Dazeley & Houston-Price, 2015). Many of the commercial snacks offered were viewed as positive because they avoided this. ...
It is recommended that infants are introduced to complementary foods from 6 months old, moving from a solely milk diet to eating a family diet by 12 months old. Although home cooking of family foods is recommended, a rapidly growing market producing baby food products (BFP) such as jars, pouches and snacks has developed. These are often accompanied by marketing claims around nutritional, health and developmental impacts despite research highlighting high sugar content. Although numerous studies have explored drivers of infant formula choice and use, little research has examined the drivers of BFP use. This study used an online survey for United Kingdom parents of infants aged 4–12 months to explore use of BFP alongside perceptions and drivers to purchase products. Overall, 271 parents participated (173 used BFP and 98 did not), with a descriptive analysis of closed items and a thematic analysis for open ended text conducted. The top motivators for using BFP were convenience, time saving, and baby's perceived enjoyment of products. The most purchased puree was fruit based and the most purchased baby snacks were vegetable puffs/sticks, with snack purchases being more common than purees in this sample. Aspects such as perceived healthiness drove choice, with snack foods being seen to enhance self‐feeding skills, appetite regulation and motor development. Those who did not use BFP did not trust them and preferred to feed their baby home cooked foods. The findings are important for professionals working with parents, to support them through the transition to solid foods, particularly around raising awareness of marketing techniques and how to check content of foods to make a more informed choice.
... This study focused on alternative proteins as novel foods for the predictive validation of the J-FNS-A. It has been shown that the strength of the FN tendency is related to the WTE functional and healthy foods (95)(96)(97) and the amount of fruits and vegetables consumed (98)(99)(100)(101)(102), suggesting that picky eating is associated with FN. The J-FNS-A shows potential not only for future food development but also for helping people make healthier dietary decisions. ...
Introduction
Food neophobia (FN) is a psychological trait that inhibits one’s willingness to eat unfamiliar foods. It is related to the acceptance of insect foods and cultured meat, which are major protein alternatives to conventional meat, and is an important personality trait for understanding the near-future food industry. However, the factor structure of Pliner and Hobden’s FN scale (FNS) is unstable due to respondents’ cultural backgrounds. Thus, we aimed to develop a Japanese version based on the alternative FNS (FNS-A), the most recent revised version, and to examine its validity.
Methods
Four online surveys (preliminary 1: n = 202; preliminary 2: n = 207; main: n = 1,079; follow-up: n = 500) were conducted on the FNS-A. For the main survey, Japanese respondents (aged 20–69 years) answered the Japanese version of the FNS-A (J-FNS-A), their willingness to eat (WTE), and their familiarity with hamburgers containing regular protein foods (ground beef, tofu) and alternative protein foods (soy meat, cultured meat, cricket powder, algae powder, and mealworm powder).
Results
Consistent with the FNS-A, confirmatory factor analysis assuming a two-dimensional structure (approach and avoidance) showed satisfactory model fit indices. The mean J-FNS-A score (Cronbach’s α for 8 items = 0.83) was 4.15 [standard deviation (SD) = 0.93]. J-FNS-A scores were not associated with age and gender, whereas a greater than moderate association was found with WTE hamburgers containing alternative protein foods (rs = −0.42 to −0.33). The strength of these negative associations increased as food familiarity decreased (r = 0.94). The test–retest reliability at 1 month was also satisfactory (r = 0.79).
Discussion
The validity of the J-FNS-A was confirmed. Higher J-FNS-A scores (mean = 41.51, SD = 9.25, converted to Pliner and Hobden’s FNS score) of the respondents suggest that Japanese people prefer conservative foods. This scale could predict the negative attitudes toward foods with low familiarity, such as alternative proteins. The J-FNS-A appears to be a useful psychological tool for assessing Japanese food neophobia tendencies and predicting novel food choices of Japanese individuals.
... This is a formalized and structured methodology, and the results of such studies are valuable in product development, quality control, and food marketing (Civille & Carr, 2015). Moreover, in an educational context, research on, e.g., children's sensory play (Coulthard & Sealy, 2017;Højer et al., 2020) and multisensory food discoveries (Coe et al., 2024), has shed light on how sensory-based education can be used to increase children's familiarity with, and acceptance of, different nutritious foods such as fish or vegetables. However, the striving to direct children's tastes in (normatively) "right" directions has been problematized by, for example, Leer and Wistoft (2018). ...
The overall aim of this thesis is to cultivate understandings of how meanings regarding food and health are made within the school subject home and consumer studies (HCS). The thesis builds on empirical data generated through a comprehensive case study, where 12 students from one school class and their two teachers were followed in HCS over the course of a school year. The methods used were observations, interviews, focus groups, and document collection. This work comprises four papers, where Paper I covers students’ meaning-making during cooking with a focus on aesthetic judgments. The results of Paper I illustrate different ways in which the students used aesthetic judgments, and how aesthetics became integral to meaning-making. Paper II investigates food for health as educational content, using qualification, socialization, and subjectification as an analytical framework. The results exemplify how these three educational functions can be operationalized empirically, and how a given educational content opens up for meaning-making that goes beyond learning facts and skills. In Paper III, thematic analysis is used to gain an overview of which aesthetic values were constituted in the studied practices, and how. Thus, the central roles of aesthetics in HCS food education were further illustrated. Lastly, Paper IV investigates use of the plate model as a food educational tool, using three planes of analysis as a framework. The results demonstrate how the plate model can be useful in food and health education, but also that it needs to be used with caution, for example to avoid conveying a rigid message of “right” and “wrong” dishes. Taken together, the results of the four papers show how food was a central transactant in the studied practices, i.e., how the food itself became an important co-actor in the meaning-making processes. Second, the discrepancy between the students’ focus on immediate food experiences and the teachers’ instrumental orientation is highlighted. In summary, this thesis provides empirically grounded contributions to support food educational practices in general, and HCS subject didactics in particular. Additionally, it strengthens the position of HCS as a subject to be reckoned with in wider didactic contexts, as well as in the emerging field of disciplinary aesthetics.
... This usually takes place in special rooms or activities outside of the children's usual eating-times. Much of this work has taken place with school-aged children (e.g., Mustonen & Tuorila, 2010), though emerging work has been conducted with younger children in Finland (e.g., Kähkönen et al., 2018), the Netherlands (Battjes-Fries et al., 2017), Norway , and the UK (e.g., Coulthard & Sealy, 2017). Blomkvist et al. (2021), for instance, used a Sapere-sensory method intervention in Norwegian kindergarten where 0-3-year-olds were introduced to 'this week's vegetable' through a series of activities, such as asking the child to feel, smell, and taste the food, as well as being offered the food through different cooking methods. ...
... Therefore, involving children in meal preparation and portion [78], sensory play and activity based on the use of real foods (e.g., fruits and vegetables) helps them in the process of familiarization and acceptance of foods [151,155]. Preschoolers playing with real foods were more likely to accept them, as compared to children playing with non-real foods [152]. Engaging neophobic infants with a nutrition education, especially a sensory-based food education program well-structured by professionals and parents, makes the experience with food less frustrating and traumatic and helps them to get into healthy eating habits [66,78]. ...
Purpose
The aim of the present review is to analyze dynamic interactions between nutrigenomics, environmental cues, and parental influence, which can all lead to children’s neophobic reactions and its persistence in time.
Methods
We reviewed studies available on electronic databases, conducted on children aged from birth to 18 years. We also considered official websites of Italian Institutions, providing advice on healthy eating during infancy.
Results
Modern day societies are faced with an eating paradox, which has severe and ever-growing implications for health. In face of a wider availability of healthy foods, individuals instead often choose processed foods high in fat, salt and sugar content. Economic reasons surely influence consumers’ access to foods. However, there is mounting evidence that food choices depend on the interplay between social learning and genetic predispositions (e.g., individual eating traits and food schemata). Neophobia, the behavioral avoidance of new foods, represents an interesting trait, which can significantly influence children’s food refusal. Early sensory experiences and negative cognitive schemata, in the context of primary caregiver–child interactions, importantly contribute to the priming of children’s food rejection.
Conclusions
As neophobia strongly affects consumption of healthy foods, it will be relevant to rule definitively out its role in the genesis of maladaptive food choices and weight status in longitudinal studies tracking to adulthood and, in meanwhile, implement early in life effective social learning strategies, to reduce long-term effects of neophobia on dietary patterns and weight status.
Level of evidence
Level II, controlled trials without randomization.
... Research results suggest that multisensory exposures are effective in increasing the consumption of products not accepted by children [23]. Easy access to food also plays an important role. ...
... Ces âges correspondent à des âges d'introduction d'aliments en morceaux et cette association s'explique par une manipulation (et une mise en bouche) plus aisée de la nourriture par l'enfant, mais aussi une « familiarisation » avec la texture de l'aliment par le toucher avec les doigts en amont de la mise en bouche. Cet effet bénéfique du fait de toucher la nourriture avec les doigts sur l'acceptabilité des textures en bouche a aussi été reporté chez des enfants plus âgés [23,24]. ...
Learning to chew properly in early childhood is crucial to establishing healthy eating habits. The period of complementary feeding is key to the developments of chewing function and the acceptability of textured food. These developments are linked to both physiological evolutions and the type of food received. Current scientific data show that exposing children to a varied diet in terms of textures, particularly from 8 months onwards, is an essential stage in the development of adapted eating behavior. However, French observations have suggested a
late introduction of chunks in children’s food, hence the need to communicate on the subject. Since 2005, national recommendations have paid little attention to this subject, while baby-led weaning (BLW) has emerged as an alternative approach to ‘‘classic’’ complementary feeding (introduction of purees), the benefits of which on the development of chewing skills had not been much studied. In 2021, Santé publique France updated the French recommendations,incorporating texture in particular. Regardless of the diversification method chosen, parents should ideally introduce textures between 6 and 8 months of age to help their child develop his or her chewing skills.
... D'autres études ont montré qu'un contact physique plus direct avec des aliments non familiers, permettant de les toucher, de les sentir et de jouer avec eux, renforçait également l'envie de les goûter [82][83][84][85]. Une étude a permis de préciser que le « jeu sensoriel » avec les fruits et légumes était plus efficace que l'exposition visuelle pour accroître l'envie de goûter des fruits et légumes connus ou inconnus [86]. ...
... If education is crucial for building knowledge about healthy eating, learning about what should be eaten and why does not necessarily translate into changes in food consumption and integrating taste exposure and sensory learning strategies have been advocated to strengthen intervention effects and notably to increase vegetable intake in children (DeCosta et al., 2017;Nekitsing et al., 2018). Previous studies have indeed shown that sensory food education encouraging pleasure from eating through sensory-based and hands-on activities are efficient strategies to improve children's food knowledge and eating traits, e.g., decreasing food neophobia and increasing willingness to taste foods (Battjes-Fries et al., 2015;Battjes-Fries et al., 2016;Coulthard & Sealy, 2017;Mustonen & Tuorila, 2010;Reverdy et al., 2008). ...
... Az utóbbi években több klinikai kutatás vizsgálta a szenzoros alapú evésterápiák hatékonyságát. 3-4 éves gyermekeknél a zöldségekkel és gyümölcsökkel való szenzoros játék jobban növelte az új étel megkóstolására való hajlandóságot, mint a nem étellel való szenzoros já ték, illetve a vizuális expozíció önmagában [57]. Egy másik kutatásban 3-10 éves gyermekek tapintás során megismerkedhettek az étel (zselés) textúrájával. ...
A kora gyermekkori evészavarok közé tartozó szenzoros ételelutasítás a válogatósság egy súlyos, perzisztáló formája, melyben a gyermek következetesen és kitartóan utasít el bizonyos ételeket valamely tulajdonságaik alapján, egy vagy több korábbi averzív élményt követően. Kialakulásában biológiai adottságok (szenzoros feldolgozási zavar, fokozott ízérzékenység) és környezeti hatások együttesen játszanak szerepet. A beszűkült étrend miatt egyes tápanyagok abszolút vagy relatív hiánya fordulhat elő, de súlygyarapodási zavar nem jellemző. Az evészavar gyakran társul viselkedésproblémákkal, szorongásos zavarral, autizmus spektrum zavarral. A diagnózis a részletes anamnézis alapján már többnyire valószínűsíthető, a kivizsgálást gyermekorvosi vizsgálat, dietetikai és pszichológiai konzultáció, gyógypedagógiai felmérés egészítheti ki. A terápia alapja a szülők edukációja és támogatása elsősorban az étkezések körüli szorongás csökkentése, másodsorban pedig az ételrepertoár bővítésének és az új ételek elfogadásának lehetőségeiről való közös gondolkodás érdekében. Az interdiszciplináris ellátás keretein belül a társszakmákkal együttműködve a gyermekorvos feladata a gyarapodás és a fejlődés ellenőrzése, a tápanyagok és a vitaminok hiányának kizárása, szükség esetén ezek pótlása. A tanulmányban jó gyakorlatként ismertetjük, hogy a Heim Pál Országos Gyermekgyógyászati Intézet Koragyermekkori Evés-alvászavar Ambulanciájának protokolljába hogyan épült be a szenzoros feldolgozási zavar szűrése és ellátása az evésproblémák kezelésének részeként. Orv Hetil. 2023; 164(45): 1767–1777.
... Multisensory exposure is also essential, engaging different senses such as taste, smell, touch, and sight in getting to know new food items. This significantly increases the consumption of foods that children and adolescents may initially find unappealing [41,43]. ...
Optimal nutrition is one of the most significant environmental factors affecting human health. The aim of this study was to assess the attitudes of primary school students aged 7–9 towards nutrition considering three fundamental components: knowledge, emotional disposition, and dietary behaviors. The research was conducted using the Focus Group Interview (FGI) technique among 78 children. Considering their attitudes towards food and nutrition, four profiles were identified: “engaged”, “obedient”, “reluctant”, and “indifferent”. Children who were “engaged” and “obedient” due to their parents’ involvement in creating their dietary attitudes exhibited the most alignment with the principles of optimal nutrition. Regardless of profile type, it was observed that children were familiar with recommended and unrecommended food products, as well as the role of water in proper nutrition. It was demonstrated that parents wield the most substantial influence on children’s nutrition. As a result, initiatives promoting the proper nutrition and a healthy lifestyle should commence with parents. Children of nutritionally conscious parents tend to eat more healthily and demonstrate a high nutritional awareness. Conversely, the children of busy parents who lack time for meal preparation more frequently replicate their parents’ nutritional mistakes. These findings emphasize the importance of the family environment in shaping the dietary behaviors of children and youth.
... SCT is the most used theoretical framework that supports these three key components. Promoting physical activity, healthy eating, and preventing obesity in youth are more likely to be achieved when using the SCT model [15]. The CATCH program is based on this theory, highlighting the relationship between personal factors (knowledge, personal responsibility), social and physical environments, and behavior in its lesson plans. ...
... Cooking also provides repetitive tactile interactions with unfamiliar tools and ingredients. Studies have shown that children who have the opportunity to touch, taste, and smell recipe ingredients, like produce, display fewer food aversions and may eat more of these ingredients (35). By participating in the preparation of six total recipes, children had the opportunity to "master" culinary skills through repetitive practice of basic cooking skills. ...
Background
Children do not eat the recommended amounts of vegetables, and school-based nutrition education has not been found to impact this behavior. Cooking education is associated with improved children’s culinary literacy (CL) and eating behaviors. This study investigated the impact of a culinary literacy (CL) curriculum on children’s acceptance of vegetable-added (mushrooms) recipes, CL, self-efficacy to cook (SE), and willingness to try vegetables (WV).
Methods
A convenience sample of 39 fourth and fifth graders were exposed to a six-lesson virtual CL curriculum that taught basic cooking skills and how to prepare six recipes, including three traditional recipes and the same recipes with added vegetables.
Results
Children who participated in the CL curriculum accepted vegetables added to pizza pockets, but vegetables added to macaroni and cheese and fajitas negatively affected the acceptance of recipes. Children improved their CL and SE but did not show a significant change in their WV.
Conclusion
Findings suggest that CL programs focusing on vegetables may drive factors associated with dietary behavior change, SE, and acceptance of vegetables. Future studies should consider CL as a potential method to improve vegetable intake in children in tandem with nutrition education or as a sole intervention. The study was limited by its small sample size, the virtual setting, and the use of mushrooms as the primary vegetable source. Future studies should be conducted with a larger sample size, in a traditional classroom setting, use a variety of vegetables, and collect qualitative data on the sensory characteristics affecting children’s WV.
... Parents consider mealtime as one of the most anxietygenerating activities in the education of their children [27] , so it is of great importance to identify risk situations, such as high family stress or children with difficult feeding behaviors, to improve and prevent the negative impacts that may arise. There are several proposals for intervention in this area: meal structuring, appetite manipulation, reinforcement-based procedures, gradual exposure and systematic desensitization, introducing food in a play environment, and parental instruction [28][29][30][31][32] . A child learns to eat through observation and by the example of other family members, which highlights the importance to integrate them at mealtime and systematically expose to positive feeding patterns [33] In a previous study [34] that evaluated the beliefs of mothers of preschool-aged children with a history of prematurity (gestational age less than 32 weeks), it was found that the turbulent experiences that parents face since early on may lead to concerns about their later psychomotor development, leading them to prioritize stimulating behaviors and neglecting social issues and discipline. ...
... Tactile food play has previously been suggested as being a successful method for promoting healthy food behavior in children. Coulthard and Sealy [36] found that, when food play was included before tasting, the number of varieties of fruit and vegetables (FV) tasted increased compared to when children did not participate in a food play session prior to tasting and when children were only visually exposed to FV prior to tasting. Nederkoorn, Theißen, Tummers, and Roefs [37] found that children who had played with jelly before eating a jelly dessert ate more than children who had only played a board game prior to eating the jelly dessert. ...
Promoting children’s healthy food behavior is important in reducing the risk of developing obesity; it is therefore relevant to investigate methods to promote healthy food choices. This study’s aim was to investigate differences in rejection–acceptance mechanisms related to unfamiliar foods depending on the inclusion of tactile exercises prior to cooking and food origin. Participant observation was applied in a school setting. Eight fifth and sixth grade classes were recruited from four Danish schools (n = 129). The classes were divided into two groups: animal (AG; quail) and nonanimal (NAG; bladderwrack). AG and NAG were subdivided into two groups: food print (FP) and no food print (NFP). Applied thematic analysis was applied. During preparation/cooking, NFP displayed disgust-related rejection, whereas FP displayed inappropriateness-related rejection. FP exhibited more playful behavior. Inappropriateness and animalness drove AG rejection. NAG rejection was driven by the slimy texture of the food and the perception of it ‘not being food’. Acceptance was driven by taste and familiarity. In conclusion, the inclusion of tactile exercises could increase children’s exploratory food behavior, and the promotion of children’s healthy food behavior should not solely focus on choosing foods deemed safe and familiar, since, despite rejection during cooking, acceptance is ultimately possible.
... These experiences showed that children that participated in the workshops gained cooking skills and ate a greater variety of foods, especially fruits and vegetables. In addition, it was evidenced that eating in groups encouraged the most reluctant children to try new foods [6][7][8]. ...
Objective
This study aimed to describe the sensory workshops carried out as part of an intervention study developed in 2018 (Brazil), designed to promote the consumption of vegetables, legumes, and fruits among preschool children aged 4 to 6 years old (n=179).
Methods
The study comprised three stages: (a) raising awareness among the school staff and parents; (b) collecting data on children’s food consumption; and (c) conducting sensory-based workshops. Through experimentation, children were encouraged to explore the senses of smell, taste, sight, hearing, and touch to learn about foods. Five workshops were held weekly each one corresponding to one of the senses. Participatory and interactive dynamics as well as playful techniques were adopted to stimulate children’s interaction with foods and verbal expression about the experiences.
Results
Through experimentation, the senses of smell, taste, sight, hearing, and touch were explored, enabling children to learn about food and preparations.
Conclusion
The low-cost sensory method proved easy to apply and its replication in the school environment to promote healthy eating in preschoolers should be encouraged. Brazilian Registry of Clinical Trials, under the register number RBR-5b6zrg.
Keywords
Food and nutrition education; Infant food; Preschoolers
The aim of this study is to reveal preschool teachers' views on sensory education. In the study, phenomenological design, one of the qualitative research methods, was selected. The study group of the research consists of 20 preschool teachers working in a city in Turkey in the 2022-2023 academic year. Maximum diversity sampling, one of the purposeful sampling types, was used to form the study group. A semi-structured interview form consisting of open-ended questions was used as a data collection tool. The data were analyzed using content analysis technique. As a result of the research, it was seen that preschool teachers had an average knowledge about sensory education It was determined that they carried out studies for the senses in all activities. Most of the participants stated that they did not have enough materials for the implementation of sensory education and that the physical conditions of their classrooms and schools were unfavourable. Sensory education supports children's developmental areas, family participation, physical and material equipment of the classroom and school are important in this process. It was concluded that pre-school teachers did not fully master the concept of sensation, but the benefits of sensory education and its contribution to children's developmental areas are important. according to research results; n-service trainings can be organised for teachers about sensory education and its importance in early childhood, occupational therapist support can be provided to pre-school institutions by working interdisciplinary at the point of sensory education and classrooms and schools can be supported in terms of sensory education materials, can be recommended.
Objective
To compare food intake and eating behaviour in children and adolescents with obesity (OBE) undergoing weight loss intervention and normal weight (NW) in a real‐life Snack Scenario.
Methods
Sixty OBE were examined before (T0) and after weight loss (T1) and compared to a single measurement comparison group of 27 NW. Participants watched a 20‐min film and were encouraged to snack from a variety of foods ad libitum. Food intake was measured and eating behaviour assessed via a hidden camera and a validated questionnaire.
Results
The food and energy intake did not differ between NW (155 ± 83 g, 1067 ± 732 kJ) and OBE at T0 (144 ± 106 g, 1088 ± 883 kJ) but increased in OBE at T1 (187 ± 91 g, 1544 ± 845 kJ). Latency of food intake was significantly shorter in NW (0 m:07 s ± 0 m:08 s) compared to OBE (T0: 1 m:11 s ± 2 m:57 s). After weight loss, latency decreased in OBE (0 m:26 s ± 1 m:00 s). NW touched food more often (49 ± 24) than OBE (T0: 29 ± 23), but takes from plate were similar. The questionnaire revealed differences between OBE and NW, not correlating with Snack Scenario observations.
Conclusion
Eating behaviours differed in NW versus OBE at T0 but food intake was similar. Therefore, behaviour while eating may be an underestimated factor in the considerations for childhood obesity.
Clinical Trial Registration
German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS) with the trial number DRKS00005122.
The issue of eating disorders and disordered eating (ED/DE) is becoming more prevalent in younger children and prevention efforts are required in the formative years. However, existing approaches are resource intensive, focus more on ‘healthy eating’ and are not necessarily embedded within everyday education. In some cases, parents and educators have received limited training in this area. Therefore, in this qualitative study, parents, teachers, and practitioners (affiliated and non-affiliated with an eating disorder charity, N=16) provided open-ended feedback after engaging with a targeted research informed ED/DE children’s storybook approach. Following reflexive thematic analysis, four global themes were identified: [A] Confidence in approaching the subject and extent of concern, [B] Discussions, training, and empathetic conversations, [C] Social media and social identity, and [D] Application and development. Overall, our findings suggest that ED/DE in children is a concern, and the storybook was viewed as a versatile and valued resource that could support initiating conversation with children, particularly in response to wider societal pressures and factors that can underpin their initial concerns and worries, such as social media. The storybook was also viewed as raising awareness of ED/DE for both parent/practitioner and children, although there is a need for the development of supplementary materials and activities that address other aspects of ED/DE. We discuss these findings in relation to researchers working more closely with external experts to develop credible resources – similar to a storybook approach – to support children and primary care providers in navigating a range of complex topics and issues.
Resumo O presente estudo está vinculado aos projetos "Programa PreveNutri: Prevenindo a obesidade infantil por meio de intervenções interdisciplinares" e "Estratégias interdisciplinares de educação em saúde para a prevenção da obesidade na infância". O objetivo principal da proposta extensionista foi realizar ofi cinas de culinária para o público infantil, elaborando diferentes preparações contendo berinjela, visando aumentar o consumo de alimentos saudáveis pelas crianças. Participaram do estudo 346 crianças, com idade entre 7 e 10 anos. Foram elaborados quatro produtos nas ofi cinas de culinária: cookie, hambúrguer, muffi n e pizza. As crianças participaram ativamente no preparo dos produtos. Obteve-se um índice de aceitabilidade >83% após a ofi cina. Conclui-se que a ofi cina de culinária como estratégia educativa extensionista foi efetiva para aumentar a oferta de alimentos mais saudáveis, garantindo uma boa aceitabilidade de produtos alimentícios adicionados de berinjela por crianças em idade escolar. Além disso, a adição de hortaliças como ingrediente em produtos alimentícios melhora o perfi l nutricional.
In contrast to taste sensitivity, the assessment of texture or tactile sensitivity has received relatively little attention in the food context. Texture plays an important role in food preferences and food intake, and individual differences make it important to understand physiological drivers of perception as tactile sensitivity. The multi‐dimensional and dynamic aspects of texture perception suggest there is not one single method that can explain individual differences. This scoping review aims to systematically map methods assessing tactile sensitivity, in the context of food, highlighting differences in approach and implementation. Eligibility criteria included papers describing methods to assess individual differences in tactile sensitivity, that involved human participants and the context was relevant to food behavior. Sources are peer‐reviewed publications of original research in English. In mapping the methods, we assessed how they relate to food texture parameters (mechanical, geometrical, and surface) and the dynamics of breaking down (touch with hand, first bite/sip, oral processing, residual or after‐swallowing sensations). We also review other parameters associated (oral processing, preference, diet and food intake behavior). The literature in this relatively young area is still very fragmented and it is difficult to have a clear picture regarding best practices or recommendations for the measurement of tactile sensitivity in the food context. Future studies should aim to methodological harmonization for application in the food behavior area, with a design of experiment combining different aspects of tactile sensitivity to food, focusing on the thresholds and perceived intensity of textural parameters as well as affective and behavioral responses, and covering the whole spectrum of tactile texture perception (mechanical, geometrics, and surface), including the dynamics of perception.
Background:
Dietary intake during early childhood can have implications on child health and developmental trajectories. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) services are recommended settings to deliver healthy eating interventions as they provide access to many children during this important period. Healthy eating interventions delivered in ECEC settings can include strategies targeting the curriculum (e.g. nutrition education), ethos and environment (e.g. menu modification) and partnerships (e.g. workshops for families). Despite guidelines supporting the delivery of healthy eating interventions in this setting, little is known about their impact on child health.
Objectives:
To assess the effectiveness of healthy eating interventions delivered in ECEC settings for improving dietary intake in children aged six months to six years, relative to usual care, no intervention or an alternative, non-dietary intervention. Secondary objectives were to assess the impact of ECEC-based healthy eating interventions on physical outcomes (e.g. child body mass index (BMI), weight, waist circumference), language and cognitive outcomes, social/emotional and quality-of-life outcomes. We also report on cost and adverse consequences of ECEC-based healthy eating interventions.
Search methods:
We searched eight electronic databases including CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC, Scopus and SportDiscus on 24 February 2022. We searched reference lists of included studies, reference lists of relevant systematic reviews, the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, ClinicalTrials.gov and Google Scholar, and contacted authors of relevant papers.
Selection criteria:
We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs), including cluster-RCTs, stepped-wedge RCTs, factorial RCTs, multiple baseline RCTs and randomised cross-over trials, of healthy eating interventions targeting children aged six months to six years that were conducted within the ECEC setting. ECEC settings included preschools, nurseries, kindergartens, long day care and family day care. To be included, studies had to include at least one intervention component targeting child diet within the ECEC setting and measure child dietary or physical outcomes, or both.
Data collection and analysis:
Pairs of review authors independently screened titles and abstracts and extracted study data. We assessed risk of bias for all studies against 12 criteria within RoB 1, which allows for consideration of how selection, performance, attrition, publication and reporting biases impact outcomes. We resolved discrepancies via consensus or by consulting a third review author. Where we identified studies with suitable data and homogeneity, we performed meta-analyses using a random-effects model; otherwise, we described findings using vote-counting approaches and via harvest plots. For measures with similar metrics, we calculated mean differences (MDs) for continuous outcomes and risk ratios (RRs) for dichotomous outcomes. We calculated standardised mean differences (SMDs) for primary and secondary outcomes where studies used different measures. We applied GRADE to assess certainty of evidence for dietary, cost and adverse outcomes.
Main results:
We included 52 studies that investigated 58 interventions (described across 96 articles). All studies were cluster-RCTs. Twenty-nine studies were large (≥ 400 participants) and 23 were small (< 400 participants). Of the 58 interventions, 43 targeted curriculum, 56 targeted ethos and environment, and 50 targeted partnerships. Thirty-eight interventions incorporated all three components. For the primary outcomes (dietary outcomes), we assessed 19 studies as overall high risk of bias, with performance and detection bias being most commonly judged as high risk of bias. ECEC-based healthy eating interventions versus usual practice or no intervention may have a positive effect on child diet quality (SMD 0.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.04 to 0.65; P = 0.03, I2 = 91%; 6 studies, 1973 children) but the evidence is very uncertain. There is moderate-certainty evidence that ECEC-based healthy eating interventions likely increase children's consumption of fruit (SMD 0.11, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.18; P < 0.01, I2 = 0%; 11 studies, 2901 children). The evidence is very uncertain about the effect of ECEC-based healthy eating interventions on children's consumption of vegetables (SMD 0.12, 95% CI -0.01 to 0.25; P =0.08, I2 = 70%; 13 studies, 3335 children). There is moderate-certainty evidence that ECEC-based healthy eating interventions likely result in little to no difference in children's consumption of non-core (i.e. less healthy/discretionary) foods (SMD -0.05, 95% CI -0.17 to 0.08; P = 0.48, I2 = 16%; 7 studies, 1369 children) or consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SMD -0.10, 95% CI -0.34 to 0.14; P = 0.41, I2 = 45%; 3 studies, 522 children). Thirty-six studies measured BMI, BMI z-score, weight, overweight and obesity, or waist circumference, or a combination of some or all of these. ECEC-based healthy eating interventions may result in little to no difference in child BMI (MD -0.08, 95% CI -0.23 to 0.07; P = 0.30, I2 = 65%; 15 studies, 3932 children) or in child BMI z-score (MD -0.03, 95% CI -0.09 to 0.03; P = 0.36, I2 = 0%; 17 studies; 4766 children). ECEC-based healthy eating interventions may decrease child weight (MD -0.23, 95% CI -0.49 to 0.03; P = 0.09, I2 = 0%; 9 studies, 2071 children) and risk of overweight and obesity (RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.01; P = 0.07, I2 = 0%; 5 studies, 1070 children). ECEC-based healthy eating interventions may be cost-effective but the evidence is very uncertain (6 studies). ECEC-based healthy eating interventions may have little to no effect on adverse consequences but the evidence is very uncertain (3 studies). Few studies measured language and cognitive skills (n = 2), social/emotional outcomes (n = 2) and quality of life (n = 3).
Authors' conclusions:
ECEC-based healthy eating interventions may improve child diet quality slightly, but the evidence is very uncertain, and likely increase child fruit consumption slightly. There is uncertainty about the effect of ECEC-based healthy eating interventions on vegetable consumption. ECEC-based healthy eating interventions may result in little to no difference in child consumption of non-core foods and sugar-sweetened beverages. Healthy eating interventions could have favourable effects on child weight and risk of overweight and obesity, although there was little to no difference in BMI and BMI z-scores. Future studies exploring the impact of specific intervention components, and describing cost-effectiveness and adverse outcomes are needed to better understand how to maximise the impact of ECEC-based healthy eating interventions.
Background:
Dietary intake during early childhood can have implications on child health and developmental trajectories. Early childhood education and care (ECEC) services are recommended settings to deliver healthy eating interventions as they provide access to many children during this important period. Healthy eating interventions delivered in ECEC settings can include strategies targeting the curriculum (e.g. nutrition education), ethos and environment (e.g. menu modification) and partnerships (e.g. workshops for families). Despite guidelines supporting the delivery of healthy eating interventions in this setting, little is known about their impact on child health.
Objectives:
To assess the effectiveness of healthy eating interventions delivered in ECEC settings for improving dietary intake in children aged six months to six years, relative to usual care, no intervention or an alternative, non-dietary intervention. Secondary objectives were to assess the impact of ECEC-based healthy eating interventions on physical outcomes (e.g. child body mass index (BMI), weight, waist circumference), language and cognitive outcomes, social/emotional and quality-of-life outcomes. We also report on cost and adverse consequences of ECEC-based healthy eating interventions.
Search methods:
We searched eight electronic databases including CENTRAL, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, ERIC, Scopus and SportDiscus on 24 February 2022. We searched reference lists of included studies, reference lists of relevant systematic reviews, the World Health Organization International Clinical Trials Registry Platform, ClinicalTrials.gov and Google Scholar, and contacted authors of relevant papers.
Selection criteria:
We included randomised controlled trials (RCTs), including cluster-RCTs, stepped-wedge RCTs, factorial RCTs, multiple baseline RCTs and randomised cross-over trials, of healthy eating interventions targeting children aged six months to six years that were conducted within the ECEC setting. ECEC settings included preschools, nurseries, kindergartens, long day care and family day care. To be included, studies had to include at least one intervention component targeting child diet within the ECEC setting and measure child dietary or physical outcomes, or both.
Data collection and analysis:
Pairs of review authors independently screened titles and abstracts and extracted study data. We assessed risk of bias for all studies against 12 criteria within RoB 1, which allows for consideration of how selection, performance, attrition, publication and reporting biases impact outcomes. We resolved discrepancies via consensus or by consulting a third review author. Where we identified studies with suitable data and homogeneity, we performed meta-analyses using a random-effects model; otherwise, we described findings using vote-counting approaches and via harvest plots. For measures with similar metrics, we calculated mean differences (MDs) for continuous outcomes and risk ratios (RRs) for dichotomous outcomes. We calculated standardised mean differences (SMDs) for primary and secondary outcomes where studies used different measures. We applied GRADE to assess certainty of evidence for dietary, cost and adverse outcomes. MAIN RESULTS: We included 52 studies that investigated 58 interventions (described across 96 articles). All studies were cluster-RCTs. Twenty-nine studies were large (≥ 400 participants) and 23 were small (< 400 participants). Of the 58 interventions, 43 targeted curriculum, 56 targeted ethos and environment, and 50 targeted partnerships. Thirty-eight interventions incorporated all three components. For the primary outcomes (dietary outcomes), we assessed 19 studies as overall high risk of bias, with performance and detection bias being most commonly judged as high risk of bias. ECEC-based healthy eating interventions versus usual practice or no intervention may have a positive effect on child diet quality (SMD 0.34, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.04 to 0.65; P = 0.03, I2 = 91%; 6 studies, 1973 children) but the evidence is very uncertain. There is moderate-certainty evidence that ECEC-based healthy eating interventions likely increase children's consumption of fruit (SMD 0.11, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.18; P < 0.01, I2 = 0%; 11 studies, 2901 children). The evidence is very uncertain about the effect of ECEC-based healthy eating interventions on children's consumption of vegetables (SMD 0.12, 95% CI -0.01 to 0.25; P =0.08, I2 = 70%; 13 studies, 3335 children). There is moderate-certainty evidence that ECEC-based healthy eating interventions likely result in little to no difference in children's consumption of non-core (i.e. less healthy/discretionary) foods (SMD -0.05, 95% CI -0.17 to 0.08; P = 0.48, I2 = 16%; 7 studies, 1369 children) or consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages (SMD -0.10, 95% CI -0.34 to 0.14; P = 0.41, I2 = 45%; 3 studies, 522 children). Thirty-six studies measured BMI, BMI z-score, weight, overweight and obesity, or waist circumference, or a combination of some or all of these. ECEC-based healthy eating interventions may result in little to no difference in child BMI (MD -0.08, 95% CI -0.23 to 0.07; P = 0.30, I2 = 65%; 15 studies, 3932 children) or in child BMI z-score (MD -0.03, 95% CI -0.09 to 0.03; P = 0.36, I2 = 0%; 17 studies; 4766 children). ECEC-based healthy eating interventions may decrease child weight (MD -0.23, 95% CI -0.49 to 0.03; P = 0.09, I2 = 0%; 9 studies, 2071 children) and risk of overweight and obesity (RR 0.81, 95% CI 0.65 to 1.01; P = 0.07, I2 = 0%; 5 studies, 1070 children). ECEC-based healthy eating interventions may be cost-effective but the evidence is very uncertain (6 studies). ECEC-based healthy eating interventions may have little to no effect on adverse consequences but the evidence is very uncertain (3 studies). Few studies measured language and cognitive skills (n = 2), social/emotional outcomes (n = 2) and quality of life (n = 3).
Authors' conclusions:
ECEC-based healthy eating interventions may improve child diet quality slightly, but the evidence is very uncertain, and likely increase child fruit consumption slightly. There is uncertainty about the effect of ECEC-based healthy eating interventions on vegetable consumption. ECEC-based healthy eating interventions may result in little to no difference in child consumption of non-core foods and sugar-sweetened beverages. Healthy eating interventions could have favourable effects on child weight and risk of overweight and obesity, although there was little to no difference in BMI and BMI z-scores. Future studies exploring the impact of specific intervention components, and describing cost-effectiveness and adverse outcomes are needed to better understand how to maximise the impact of ECEC-based healthy eating interventions.
This narrative review focuses on the effects of ‘Sensory Play’ on young children's willingness to try new nutritious foods, particularly fruits and vegetables. Young children are often fussy when it comes to trying new nutritious foods. ‘Sensory Play’ is a type of early childhood sensory education that stimulates one, or more, of the five senses: taste, touch, smell, sight and sound. This review examines the literature on sensory‐based education and its effects on children's willingness to taste fruits and vegetables. Previous research has explored the use of ‘Sensory Play’ to introduce fruits and vegetables to young children, with promising results in increasing intake. However, there is a gap in research on the potential use of non‐taste exposure activities (i.e. activities that use the sense of touch, smell, sight and sound, but not taste) to increase children's willingness to try unfamiliar fruits and vegetables. The outcomes of this review explored the potential of how these sensory‐based educational tools can be used to decrease barriers of fruits and vegetables acceptance.
The aim of this study was to determine how repeated-exposure of an unfamiliar-vegetable affects food-intake and food-liking in the food-neophobic-tendency-children. A total of 848 children (9–11years-old) participated in this study. The experimental part of the study was carried out with a randomly-selected subsample of 28-students among the students who were considered as having food-neophobic-tendencies. These students consumed celery 8-times with an interval of 2 days. A 5-Point-Likert-Scale was used to assess students’ liking of celery during each trial. There was a significant effect of exposure shown by significant increases in intake and liking among neophobic-tendency-children (p < .001). In summary, repeated taste-exposure is confirmed to be a good strategy to increase vegetable-acceptance, liking in children, regardless of food-neophobia tendency.
Young children’s eating practices and mealtimes within early childhood education and care have attracted considerable attention over the past 30 years, with an increasing focus on nutrition and family-style meals. Research in this field is typically conducted in parallel strands that would benefit from an overview perspective and critical discussion. This article addresses that need, reviewing international research from 166 empirical papers published between January 1990 to December 2020. A scoping literature review was used to inductively identify three core areas of research: i) factors influencing children’s eating practices, ii) teacher’s and children’s perspectives on mealtimes, and iii) situated meal practices. Key trends included a focus on repeated exposure, modeling behavior, teachers’ feeding practices, rules and norms vs. playfulness, and participation in the meal as event. Future research could work across disciplinary boundaries and combine a focus on nutritional concerns with an examination of the multimodal interaction within the mealtimes.
In order to increase vegetable intake by children, parents are encouraged to implement strategies that promote trying and eating vegetables at mealtimes. Qualitative studies have previously highlighted barriers parents face in implementing healthy eating practices, such as time, monetary costs and child factors (e.g. fussy eaters). This study aimed to specify the relationships between child and parent factors and their effects on parental intentions to implement vegetable feeding strategies at mealtimes. Parental intentions to implement meal service (serving larger portions, offering variety, serving vegetables first) and experiential learning (repeated exposure, games, sensory play) strategies were examined. Parents (N = 302, 73 male, Mage = 33.5) also explained reasons why certain strategies may or may not work for their child (4-7y). For both types of strategy, higher food fussiness of the child predicted higher parental intentions to implement strategies at home. However, this was competitively mediated by low beliefs that the strategy would work for their child, resulting in weaker overall positive effects on intentions. In the meal service model, parental beliefs that healthy eating is important for their child had a positive, indirect effect on higher intentions, through involved parental feeding practices. However, this was not significant in the experiential learning strategies model. Written parental responses suggest that this may be due to meal service approaches being viewed as easier to implement, with little additional effort required. Increasing parental confidence to implement strategies successfully and managing expectations around successful outcomes of strategies (e.g. tasting, eating) may be important focuses of future interventions to support parents implementing vegetable feeding strategies at mealtimes.
The day-care setting is an ideal place to encourage children's fruit and vegetable (=F&V) eating. Whereas many studies have focused on the effectiveness to increase F&V consumption, little is known about how to successfully implement effective strategies in daily practice. This study aimed to investigate how day-care professionals evaluated the implementation of a self-chosen strategy to support children's F&V eating. Thirteen day-care locations chose one out of five promising strategies and implemented this strategy for 10–12 weeks. Before (N = 98) and after the study (N = 49), day-care professionals completed a questionnaire to assess their implementation experiences, the impact on children's F&V eating as well as their future intention to use the strategy (on a 5-point scale). Parents (N = 152) completed a short questionnaire at the end of the study to capture their experiences and potential transfer effects to the home situation. Results showed that acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility and sustainability of the strategies were generally satisfactory (scores ≥3.5 on a 5-point scale), but the strategy of cooking scored less favourable on appropriateness and sustained implementation. Children's willingness to taste F&V varieties (3.4 ± 0.7 vs. 2.8 ± 0.8; p < 0.001) and eating pleasure for vegetables (3.4 ± 0.6 vs. 3.1 ± 0.8; p = 0.01) increased, whereas children's F&V consumption did not change (p > 0.14). Parents valued the day-cares’ efforts to encourage children's F&V consumption and a small group (∼20%) experienced positive effects at home. This study shows that implementing a self-chosen F&V strategy at the day-care is acceptable, appropriate and feasible for day-care professionals and has potential to positively impact children's F&V eating behaviour. Future research should investigate the effects of long-term implementation on children's eating behaviour and examine how structural implementation can be further supported.
Background:
Children use all of their senses when exploring new foods, and sensory-based food education provides new possibilities for promoting healthy dietary habits.
Objective:
To evaluate the effect of sensory-based food education activities on children's willingness to eat test samples of selected vegetables and berries.
Design:
Two kindergartens in Hanko, Finland, participated in the study and the subjects were children aged 3-6 years, divided in the intervention (n=44) and control (n=24) kindergarten. In the intervention kindergarten, five sensory-based food education sessions focusing on vegetables and berries were implemented, once per week for 5 weeks. A tasting protocol was performed with the children at baseline and after the intervention. The willingness to eat (5 different vegetables and 3 Finnish berries) was categorised. Parents also filled in a questionnaire on the children's food preferences at home.
Results:
In the intervention kindergarten, the willingness to eat the samples increased significantly (p≤0.001, Wilcoxon and Friedman), while in the control kindergarten, no significant change was observed when all of the test samples were taken into account. The parental report of their children's preferences and children's actual eating of the test samples corresponded relatively weakly.
Conclusions:
Sensory-based food education activities may promote a willingness to eat vegetables and berries. Child-centred test methods are important for evaluating the effects of dietary interventions among children.
Children are not consuming sufficient amounts of fruits and vegetables in their habitual diet. Methods derived from associative learning theories could be effective at promoting vegetable intake in pre-school children. The objective of the present study was to compare the effectiveness of different learning strategies in promoting the intake of a novel vegetable. Children aged between 9 and 38 months were recruited from UK nurseries. The children (n 72) were randomly assigned to one of three conditions (repeated exposure, flavour-flavour learning or flavour-nutrient learning). Each child was offered ten exposures to their respective version of a novel vegetable (artichoke). Pre- and post-intervention measures of artichoke purée and carrot purée (control vegetable) intake were taken. At pre-intervention, carrot intake was significantly higher than artichoke intake (P < 0·05). Intake of both vegetables increased over time (P < 0·001); however, when changes in intake were investigated, artichoke intake increased significantly more than carrot intake (P < 0·001). Artichoke intake increased to the same extent in all three conditions, and this effect was persistent up to 5 weeks post-intervention. Five exposures were sufficient to increase intake compared to the first exposure (P < 0·001). Repeated exposure to three variants of a novel vegetable was sufficient to increase intake of this vegetable, regardless of the addition of a familiar taste or energy. Repetition is therefore a critical factor for promoting novel vegetable intake in pre-school children.
How children acquire preferences for added sugar and salt was examined by investigating the effects of repeated exposure to 1 of 3 versions of a novel food (sweetened, salty, or plain tofu) on children's preference for those and other similar foods. Participants were 39 4- and 5-yr-olds assigned to taste only 1 of 3 flavored versions 15 times over several weeks. Preferences for all versions were obtained before, during, and after the exposure series. Preference increased for the exposed version only. Experience with 1 flavored version did not produce generalized liking for all 3 versions of the food. Experience with 1 version (flavored or plain) actually produced a decline in preference for the other version. This was true whether children had experience with plain or flavored versions of the food. The acquired preference was restricted to the particular food/flavor complex; through exposure, children seemed to learn whether it was appropriate to add salt or sugar to a particular food. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2012 APA, all rights reserved)
Commercial interventions seeking to promote fruit and vegetable consumption by encouraging preschool- and school-aged children to engage with foods with 'all their senses' are increasing in number. We review the efficacy of such sensory interaction programmes and consider the components of these that are likely to encourage food acceptance. Repeated exposure to a food's flavour has robust empirical support in terms of its potential to increase food intake. However, children are naturally reluctant to taste new or disliked foods, and parents often struggle to provide sufficient taste opportunities for these foods to be adopted into the child's diet. We therefore explore whether prior exposure to a new food's non-taste sensory properties, such as its smell, sound, appearance or texture, might facilitate the food's introduction into the child's diet, by providing the child with an opportunity to become partially familiar with the food without invoking the distress associated with tasting it. We review the literature pertaining to the benefits associated with exposure to foods through each of the five sensory modalities in turn. We conclude by calling for further research into the potential for familiarisation with the visual, olfactory, somaesthetic and auditory properties of foods to enhance children's willingness to consume a variety of fruits and vegetables.
This research compared sensory processing and personality traits involved in deciding to try a novel fruit (guava) in adults and children.
The research employed an age, sex, and food neophobia matched between-participant design to examine sensory decision making in choosing to eat a novel fruit.
Forty-four adults (Study 1) and 68 children (Study 2) took part. In each study, participants were separated into two groups to investigate whether prior assessment of a familiar and liked fruit (apple) that shares similar visual characteristics to the target novel fruit (guava) increased the likelihood that an individual would decide to try it. All participants completed appetitive and familiarity ratings by sensory stages: vision, smell, and touch, prior to trying (tasting) the fruit. Participants (or their parents) also completed the general and food neophobia scales and adults also completed the sensation-seeking scale.
Twenty-eight adults (64%) tried the guava and 16 did not (36%). In the second study, 22 children decided not to try the novel fruit (32%). Significant predictors of whether the adult tried the target fruit were Thrill and Adventure Seeking, Experience Seeking, General Neophobia, and 'appealing to touch'. In children, Food Neophobia, concurrent presentation of a familiar fruit alongside the target and visual assessment of the target predicted decision to try the novel fruit.
This study suggests that touch is pertinent to adults' decision to try a novel fruit, whereas visual cues appear to be more important for children.
To examine the effects of a school garden on children's fruit and vegetable knowledge, preference, and consumption.
Self-report questionnaires, interview-style taste and rate items, lunchroom observations.
An elementary school.
Second-grade students (n = 115).
Participants were assigned to one of 3 groups: (1) nutrition education and gardening (NE+G) treatment group, (2) nutrition education only (NE) treatment group, or (3) control group (CG). Both treatment groups received classroom instruction, and the NE+G group also received a school gardening experience.
Fruit and vegetable knowledge, preference, and consumption.
Analyses of variance (alpha = .05).
Participants in the NE+G and NE treatment groups exhibited significantly greater improvements in nutrition knowledge and taste ratings than did participants in the CG. Moreover, the NE+G group was more likely to choose and consume vegetables in a lunchroom setting at post-assessment than either the NE or CG groups.
School gardens as a component of nutrition education can increase fruit and vegetable knowledge and cause behavior change among children. These findings suggest that school administrators, classroom teachers, and nutrition educators should implement school gardens as a way to positively influence dietary habits at an early age.
Using standard test construction techniques, we developed a paper and pencil measure of the trait of food neophobia, which was defined as a reluctance to eat and/or avoidance of novel foods. The resulting 10-item test was found to have satisfactory test-retest reliability and internal consistency. Three behavioral validation studies demonstrated that test scores predicted behavior in laboratory food selection situations. Scores on the measure were found to be correlated with trait anxiety, age, the Experience Seeking subscale of the Sensation Seeking Scale, general neophobia, and general familiarity and experience with unusual foods. Scores were not related to gender or to finickiness.
Women (n 160) aged 50 to 65 years were asked to weigh their food for 4 d on four occasions over the period of 1 year, using the PETRA (Portable Electronic Tape Recorded Automatic) scales. Throughout the year, they were asked to complete seven other dietary assessment methods: a simple 24 h recall, a structured 24 h recall with portion size assessments using photographs, two food-frequency questionnaires, a 7 d estimated record or open-ended food diary, a structured food-frequency (menu) record, and a structured food-frequency (menu) record with portion sizes assessed using photographs. Comparisons between the average of the 16 d weighed records and the first presentation of each method indicated that food-frequency questionnaires were not appreciably better at placing individuals in the distribution of habitual diet than 24 h recalls, due partly to inaccuracies in the estimation of frequency of food consumption. With a 7 d estimated record or open-ended food diary, however, individual values of nutrients were most closely associated with those obtained from 16 d weighed records, and there were no significant differences in average food or nutrient intakes.
We explored whether tactile defensive children have picky eating habits because fussy or picky eaters are a general problem to parents and different health professionals.
Children (n = 62) of both sexes, ages 3 to 10 y, were assigned to an experimental tactile defensive (TD) group (n = 29) or a control non-TD group (n = 33). A questionnaire on eating habits was compiled and given to parents for completion during personal interviews (children were screened with a checklist and evaluated for tactile defensiveness with the Winnie Dunn Caregiver profile questionnaire).
This research confirmed that the eating habits and food choices of TD and non-TD children differ significantly. TD children had a fair to poor appetite. They hesitated to eat unfamiliar foods, did not eat other people's houses, and refused certain foods because of the smell and temperature. They also had a problem eating vegetables. They often gagged and/or bit their inner lips and cheeks. The results showed a definite difference in the limited selection of foods that TD children chose and a pronounced aversion toward textures or consistencies, smells, and temperatures of food as compared with integrated children.
Fussy or picky eaters should evaluated more widely than to treat only the feeding problem. Tactile or oral defensiveness can be treated. This report underlines the team approach of health professionals.
To examine the contribution to fruit and vegetable eating in children of potential predictive variables within the domains of demographics, parental feeding practices and personality traits.
Cross-sectional survey.
Questionnaires were distributed to parents through 22 London nursery schools.
Questionnaires were completed and returned by 564 parents or principal caregivers of 2-6-year-old children.
Significant predictors of children's fruit and vegetable intake emerged from all three domains examined. Demographic variables associated with child's vegetable consumption were mother's education and child's age and gender. Only ethnicity was significantly associated with fruit consumption. Parental consumption, breast-feeding and early introduction to fruit and vegetables were related to intake of both. Family meal times were associated with higher intake of vegetables, but not of fruit. Two characteristics of children themselves (food neophobia and enjoyment of food) were strongly related to the consumption of fruit and vegetables. Subsequent multivariate analyses revealed that parental intake and child food neophobia independently predicted intake of both foods. In the presence of these, fruit consumption was affected by breast-feeding and early introduction to fruit, whereas vegetable consumption was related only to child's gender and enjoyment of food.
These findings may be used to inform future interventions aimed at increasing children's consumption of fruit and vegetables. Parents should be made aware of the possible impact of their own behaviour on the eating habits of their children.
The consumption of fruit and vegetables is associated with a reduced rate of coronary heart disease (CHD) in observational cohorts. The purpose of this study was to assess the strength of this association in a meta-analysis. Cohort studies were selected if they reported relative risks (RRs) and 95% CI for coronary heart disease or mortality and if they presented a quantitative assessment of fruit and vegetable intake. The pooled RRs were calculated for each additional portion of fruit and/or vegetables consumed per day, and the linearity of the associations were examined. Nine studies were eligible for inclusion in the meta-analysis that consisted of 91,379 men, 129,701 women, and 5,007 CHD events. The risk of CHD was decreased by 4% [RR (95% CI): 0.96 (0.93-0.99), P = 0.0027] for each additional portion per day of fruit and vegetable intake and by 7% [0.93 (0.89-0.96), P < 0.0001] for fruit intake. The association between vegetable intake and CHD risk was heterogeneous (P = 0.0043), more marked for cardiovascular mortality [0.74 (0.75-0.84), P < 0.0001] than for fatal and nonfatal myocardial infarction [0.95 (0.92-0.99), P = 0.0058]. Visual inspection of the funnel plot suggested a publication bias, although not statistically significant. Therefore, the reported RRs are probably overestimated. This meta-analysis of cohort studies shows that fruit and vegetable consumption is inversely associated with the risk of CHD. The causal mechanism of this association, however, remains to be demonstrated.
The purpose of this study is to investigate differences in sensory processing among age-matched children between ages 3 and 6 years with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) and those who are typically developing.
Reported sensory processing abilities of 281 children with ASD were compared to age-matched peers who were typically developing, using the Short Sensory Profile (SSP).
Ninety-five percent of the sample of children with ASD demonstrated some degree of sensory processing dysfunction on the SSP Total Score, with the greatest differences reported on the Underresponsive/ Seeks Sensation, Auditory Filtering, and Tactile Sensitivity sections. The ASD group also performed significantly differently (p < .001) on 92% of the items, total score, and all sections of the SSP.
These findings, considered with similar published studies, begin to confirm the prevalence and types of sensory processing impairments in autism. Further research is needed to more clearly define patterns of sensory processing in people with ASD.
A behavioural sensory task was undertaken to further understanding into whether children’s sensory evaluation of a new vegetable is associated with tasting and food neophobia scores. A sample of ninety-five children, aged 7-11 years, was recruited from a primary school in inner city Birmingham, UK. They were asked to rate the sight, smell and feel of a familiar vegetable (carrot) and an unfamiliar vegetable (celeriac) in a randomised order to control for order effects. They were then asked to try the each vegetable, and rate its taste. It was found that children rated the sensory characteristics of the familiar vegetable more positively than the novel vegetable across all sensory domains (p<0.05). Refusing to try the novel vegetable was associated with food neophobia scores and olfactory ratings. The ratings of the taste of the novel vegetable were associated with olfactory and tactile ratings. In addition there was a clear developmental shift in the sample with younger children being more likely to rate the novel vegetable as ‘looking strange’ and older children rating the novel vegetable as ‘smelling strange’. This research strengthens the idea that sensory information is important in children deciding to try, and their hedonic evaluation of the taste of a new vegetable.
A cross-sectional study was conducted to examine whether the relationship between enjoyment of tactile play and food neophobia observed in children (Coulthard & Thakker, 2015) would be related to levels seen in their parents. One hundred and twenty six participants were recruited from playgroup centres in the Walsall area of the West Midlands, UK; 63 children (2-5 years; 30 girls and 33 boys) and 63 attendant parents (53 mothers and 10 fathers). Children and their parents' enjoyment of a tactile play task was rated by both the parent and a researcher, and questionnaire measures of food neophobia and tactile sensitivity were completed by the parent for both themselves and their children. Strong associations were found between parent and child scores across all the measures; food neophobia, tactile sensitivity and tactile play enjoyment. The variables most strongly related to child food neophobia were parental neophobia and enjoyment of tactile play (parent and child). These findings indicate that family resemblance exists not only for food neophobia, but for tactile sensory processing as well, and may represent a possible inherited route to neophobia. The findings strengthen the suggestion that tactile processing is associated with food neophobia although the causal nature of this relationship is still not known.
Previous research has shown that parental reports of food neophobia and tactile sensitivity are associated with lower fruit and vegetable (F/V) intake in children. This study aimed to pilot a behavioral observation measure of tactile play in young children. The primary aim of the study was to see whether children's enjoyment of tactile play was associated with higher F/V consumption, as well as lower food neophobia. Seventy 2- to 5-year-old children (37 males and 33 females) and their parents were recruited through children's centers in the Leicester region of the United Kingdom during July to October 2012. Children's engagement in two tactile play tasks using sticky foods (mashed potatoes and vegetarian gelatin) was observed and rated by both the researcher and parent. Parents were asked to complete a series of questionnaires measuring F/V consumption, food neophobia, and sensory processing. It was found that lower child food neophobia was significantly related to enjoyment of tactile play, whereas child F/V consumption was associated with parental F/V consumption, but not enjoyment of tactile play. The findings strengthen the idea that tactile processing may be associated with the acceptance of food variety, but not the total amount of F/V consumed. Additional research is indicated to determine whether tactile play tasks can be used to lower child food neophobia.
Copyright © 2015 Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Previous research suggests that the use of modelling and non-food rewards may be effective at increasing tasting, and consequential liking and acceptance, of a previously disliked food. Although successful school-based interventions have been developed, there is a lack of research into home-based interventions using these methods. This study aimed to develop and investigate the efficacy of a parent led home-based intervention for increasing children's acceptance of a disliked vegetable. A total of 115 children aged 2-4 years were allocated to one of four intervention groups or to a no-treatment control. The four intervention conditions were: repeated exposure; modelling and repeated exposure; rewards and repeated exposure; or modelling, rewards and repeated exposure. Children in all of the intervention conditions were exposed by a parent to daily offerings of a disliked vegetable for 14 days. Liking and consumption of the vegetable were measured pre and post-intervention. Significant increases in post-intervention consumption were seen in the modelling, rewards and repeated exposure condition and the rewards and repeated exposure condition, compared to the control group. Significant post-intervention differences in liking were also found between the experimental groups. Liking was highest (>60%) in the modelling, rewards and repeated exposure group and the rewards and repeated exposure group, intermediate (>26%) in the modelling and repeated exposure and repeated exposure groups, and lowest in the control group (10%). Parent led interventions based around modelling and offering incentives may present cost efficient ways to increase children's vegetable consumption.
Copyright © 2014. Published by Elsevier Ltd.
Children who are very picky in eating frequently refuse the intake of foods. This rejection is not only based on the evaluation of taste, but also on tactile qualities of foods. It matters whether food is crispy or slimy, consistent, or with bits and pips. It is hypothesized that children who are more sensitive to touch and dislike the feel of various tactile stimuli in general, are also more dismissive of tactile stimulation in their mouth and therefore more selective in their eating. In the present study, 44 children between 4 and 10 were asked to feel different tactile stimuli with their hands and to taste different foods. Results showed a significant positive correlation between the evaluations of the two modalities, especially for the younger subjects. This suggests that tactile sensitivity might play a role in acceptance of food. Future research could explore if training children to tolerate more tactile stimuli would also increase their appreciation of wider variety of foods.
Activities that engage young children with the sensory properties of foods are popular with nursery schools, despite the lack of evidence for their efficacy in increasing children's consumption of healthy foods. This study provides the first empirical exploration of the effectiveness of a non-taste sensory activity program in a nursery school setting. Ninety-two children aged between 12 and 36 months were allocated to either an intervention group, who took part in looking, listening, feeling and smelling activities with unusual fruits and vegetables every day for four weeks, or to a non-intervention control group. In a subsequent mealtime taste test, children touched and tasted more of the vegetables to which they had been familiarized in their playtime activities than of a matched set of non-exposed foods. The results demonstrate that hands-on activities with unfamiliar fruits and vegetables can enhance children's willingness to taste these foods, and confirm the potential for such activities to support healthy eating initiatives.
Research suggests fruit and vegetable (FV) preferences greatly influence on FV intake. Methods for assessing children's FV preference in a reliable and valid manner are needed. The purpose of this study was to develop a practical, reliable, and valid method for evaluating FV liking among preschool-aged children using photographs. Authors formatively assessed a series of digital FV photographs and hedonic scales to develop content for the liking measure. The measure for assessment included 20 high-quality, digital photographs presenting 13 FVs. A non-gendered 5-point face scale (super yummy to super yucky) was chosen to determine level of liking. We used this measure to establish reliability (i.e., test re-test) and concurrent validity (i.e., photograph versus tasting experience) of the pictorial method. Data were analyzed using Spearman's Rho Correlation Coefficients and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests. The measure demonstrated varying levels of reliability/validity for individual FV items and the fruit scale; however, the vegetable scale and collapsed FV scale demonstrated were determined to be valid measures. Authors recommended the removal of one weak pictorial fruit item (halved peach) from the fruit and FV scales to improve validity. The final recommended measure included 19 high-quality, digital photographs presenting 12 FVs. The pictorial FV measure and subscales may be useful for assessing FV liking among groups of preschool-aged children within the studied population. Additional research is needed to further validate the use of the pictorial FV measures in a larger, more generalizable sample.
Children's eating behaviours are fundamental to their health. Dietary surveys indicate that children's food consumption is likely to promote a range of diet-related diseases, including overweight and obesity, which are associated with a range of psychosocial and physical disorders. With the prevalence of overweight and obesity rapidly increasing, opportunities for informed prevention have become a focus of strategy. Diet is recognised as important in the genesis of obesity. We present data that demonstrate that eating behaviours are likely to be established early in life and may be maintained into adulthood. We review literature that shows that children's eating behaviours are influenced by the family food environment. These findings suggest that the family environment should be considered in developing obesity prevention strategy for children, yet the current strategy focuses primarily on the school environment. Those factors in the family environment that appear to be important include: parental food preferences and beliefs, children's food exposure; role modelling; media exposure; and child-parent interactions around food. However, the existing data are based on small scale and unrepresentative US samples. At a population level, we have few insights regarding family food environments and consequently little information about how such environments influence children's eating behaviours and thus their risk for obesity. We suggest research that may promote a better understanding of the role of family food environments as determinants of children's eating behaviour, and consider the implications for obesity prevention in Australia. (Aust J Nutr Diet 2001;58:19-25)
The article describes a proposed model for considering sensory processing an important factor in young children's performance. The author reviews constructs from neuroscience and behavioral science to propose how the transaction among these constructs may provide a framework for understanding various patterns of behavior and for developing methods for handling young children's sensory processing needs in a functional and supportive manner. The author reviews data from a series of studies on the Sensory Profile, a family-report measure of a child's responses to sensory experiences during daily life, to illustrate the utility and possible quantitative support for the proposed model components in young children with and without disabilities
(C)1997Aspen Publishers, Inc.
Food preferences have been identified as a key determinant of children's food acceptance and consumption. The aim of this study was to identify factors that influence children's liking for fruits, vegetables and non-core foods. Participants were Australian mothers (median age at delivery=31years, 18-46years) and their two-year-old children (M=24months, SD=1month; 52% female) allocated to the control group (N=245) of the NOURISH RCT. The effects of repeated exposure to new foods, maternal food preferences and child food neophobia on toddlers' liking of vegetables, fruits and non-core foods and the proportion never tried were examined via hierarchical regression models; adjusting for key maternal (age, BMI, education) and child covariates (birth weight Z-score, gender), duration of breastfeeding and age of introduction to solids. Maternal preferences corresponded with child preferences. Food neophobia among toddlers was associated with liking fewer vegetables and fruits, and trying fewer vegetables. Number of repeated exposures to new food was not significantly associated with food liking at this age. Results highlight the need to: (i) encourage parents to offer a wide range of foods, regardless of their own food preferences, and (ii) provide parents with guidance on managing food neophobia.
In the weeks following the start of weaning, 70 mothers were asked to identify a vegetable purée that their infant disliked and that they normally would not offer again. The 49 who did so were then asked to offer that vegetable on alternate days for 16 days, and to offer a well-liked one (carrot purée) on the other days. Amount eaten and acceptance were measured at each meal. On the first day of exposure, mean intake of the initially disliked vegetable was 39 ± 29 g and of the liked one, 164 ± 73 g (mean ± SD). Over the following days, intake of the initially disliked vegetable increased rapidly and by the eighth exposure was 174 ± 54 g, similar to that of the liked vegetable (186 ± 68 g). A similar pattern of results was found for mother-reported liking ratings. These effects of repeated exposure appear to be long lasting because nine months later, 63% of the infants were still eating and liking the initially disliked vegetable. The present study shows that when a vegetable is initially disliked it is worth persisting in feeding it for at least eight subsequent meals.
The effects of sensory education on food-related traits and responses to food were examined over a period of 1.5 years in school children. Children (N = 164, 8- and 11-year-old at baseline) from two schools in Helsinki were divided in an education group (E; N = 92) receiving up to two waves of sensory lessons, and a control group (C; N = 72) participating in baseline and follow-up measurements only. The 1st wave (10 lessons) followed the principles of the French program “Classes du goût” and the 2nd wave (5 extensive lessons to 2/3 of the E group) concentrated on different food categories. A questionnaire assessing children’s liking and familiarity of unfamiliar and familiar foods and food neophobia, was sent to parents at the baseline and after each wave of sensory lessons. After education, the E group had tried a larger proportion of unfamiliar foods than at the baseline. The number of tasted foods in the C group remained at the baseline level. Food neophobia score decreased in the E group, while no change was seen in the C group. The effects of education were stronger in the younger children. Thus, sensory education has potential to activate children to try new foods and thereby to increase variety in their diets.
This study sought to determine how eight days of home exposure to information about healthful foods and eating behaviors in the form of children's books and a variety of fruit and vegetables interacted to affect 4- to 8-year-old children's (N=59) consumption of fruit and vegetables. Before and after the home exposure, children participated in a task in which their consumption of a variety of fruit and vegetables that ranged in familiarity was measured. Results indicated that exposure to food and books were both effective at increasing consumption of fruit, but not vegetables. Additionally, children who were exposed to books consumed more of an infrequently consumed fruit presented during the post-test, but only if they had not been exposed to food during the home exposure. Overall, children's fruit consumption increased more if their mothers did not pressure them to eat, and those who were less neophobic were more likely to try a novel fruit or vegetable during the post-test. These findings suggest that information and food variety both can be effective for increasing acceptance of fruit, and highlight the need for more research that investigates the efficacy of intervention strategies that promote vegetable consumption in young children.
Determine whether Color Me Healthy (CMH), an interactive nutrition and physical activity program for preschool children, increases fruit and vegetable consumption.
Intervention study. Data were collected at baseline, 1 week post-intervention, and 3 months post-intervention.
Child care centers.
Preschool children (n = 263) in 17 child care centers.
Child care centers were randomly assigned to 1 of 2 conditions; children (n = 165) in 10 centers received the CMH curriculum, and children (n = 98) in 7 centers acted as comparisons and did not receive the curriculum.
Process and outcome evaluation. Consumption of fruit and vegetable snacks.
Data were analyzed using repeated-measures analysis of variance and hierarchical linear modeling.
Children who received CMH significantly increased their consumption of fruit snacks by approximately 20.8% and vegetable snacks by approximately 33.1% between baseline assessment and the assessment conducted 3 months after the completion of the CMH program. Hierarchical linear modeling determined that group assignment (ie, CMH or control) was the only significant predictor of fruit and vegetable consumption.
Findings suggest that CMH may be used in child care settings for developing healthful eating habits.
Using a repeated measures design, in a nursery setting, a modelling and rewards intervention targeted preschool children's consumption of 8 fruit and 8 vegetables (presented as 4 different food sets, each comprising 2 fruit and 2 vegetables). During the 16-day Baseline 1, and subsequent baselines, the children received a different food set daily, first at snacktime and again at lunchtime; consumption of these foods was not rewarded. In the 32-day fruit intervention phase, Food Set 2 and Food Set 3 were presented on alternate days; rewards were presented only at snacktime, and only for consumption of the fruit components. Following Baseline 2 and Baseline 3, the intervention targeted snack consumption of the vegetable components of Food Sets 1 and 4. Finally, Baseline 4, and 6-month Follow up were conducted. The interventions produced large and significant increases in target fruit and vegetable consumption with smaller, but significant, increases for the paired, opposite category, non-target foods. Immediately after each intervention, increases based on within-category generalisation were also evident. All increases generalised strongly to the no-rewards lunchtime context. Contrary to theories predicting response decrements, the increases in preschoolers' fruit and vegetable consumption were maintained at Follow up, six months after rewards were withdrawn.
This study explores the effects of exposure to pictures of fruits and vegetables on young children's willingness to taste the foods. The parents of 20 toddlers aged 21-24 months were asked to read a picture book about four foods with their child every day for two weeks. In a subsequent 'taste test' children displayed a neophobic pattern of behaviour towards foods to which they had not been exposed, but not towards exposed foods. Furthermore, while exposure served to decrease children's willingness to taste familiar vegetables, it increased their willingness to taste unfamiliar fruits.
A cross-sectional study was carried out to ascertain the relative contribution of food neophobia and taste sensitivity to the amount of fruit and vegetables consumed in a typical day by 73, 2-5-year-old children attending nurseries in the South Birmingham area, UK. Sensory processing, parental control, child food neophobia and fruit and vegetable (FV) consumption of both mothers and children were measured. Parental and child FV consumption in the sample were positively associated (p<0.001). Moderated regression analyses showed that taste/smell sensitivity, but not food neophobia or tactile sensitivity, moderated the relationship between maternal and child FV consumption. In particular, children who were sensitive to taste/smell stimuli ate fewer fruit and vegetables, regardless of their mothers FV consumption. This finding implies that those children, who are sensitive to taste/smell stimuli, may be less likely to model maternal FV consumption. For these children, a more gradual route to encouraging acceptance, with attention to small sensory changes in foods, may be necessary to increase FV consumption.
To determine the relative effectiveness of two different types of exposure on young children's preference for initially novel foods, 51 two- to five-year-old children received either "look" or "taste" exposures to seven novel fruits. Foods were exposed five, 10 or 15 times, and one food remained novel. Following the exposures, children made two judgments of each of the 21 pairs: one based on looking, the other on tasting the foods. Thurstone Case V scaling solutions were correlated with exposure frequency, and these were significant for the visual judgments of the looked at foods (r = 0.91), the visual judgments of the tasted (and looked at) foods (r = 0.97) and the taste judgments of the tasted foods (r = 0.94). The only non-significant relationship was for the taste judgments of the looked at (but never tasted) foods (r = 0.24). The results indicate that to obtain significant positive changes in preference, experience with the food must include experience in the modality that is relevant for the judgments. While visual experience produced enhanced visual preference judgments, visual experience was not sufficient to produce significantly enhanced taste preferences. This finding is consistent with a "learned safety" interpretation of the exposure effects noted in the taste judgments: experiences with novel tastes that are not followed by negative gastrointestinal consequences can produce enhanced taste preference.
To examine the effects of dietary experience and milk feeding regimen on acceptance of their first vegetable by 4- to 6-month-old infants.
Longitudinal study, of 26-days duration, observing infants aged 4 to 6 months at the start of the study. Random assignment to treatments, within-subject control.
General community in a medium-sized midwestern town.
Thirty-six infants and their mothers. Subjects were solicited through birth records and advertisements in local newspapers.
Infants were randomly assigned to be fed one vegetable on 10 occasions, either salted or unsalted peas or green beans, for a 10-day period.
Infant intake of the vegetable consumed during the 10-day exposure period; intake of salted and unsalted versions: (1) before the 10-day exposure period, (2) immediately after the exposure period; and (3) after a 1-week period of delay. Intake of a control food was also measured before and after repeated consumption of the vegetable. Adult ratings of the infants' videotaped responses during test feedings were also obtained before and after the exposure period.
After 10 opportunities to consume the vegetable, all infants significantly increased their intake (P < .001). Although they did not differ initially, infants fed breast milk showed greater increases in intake of the vegetable after exposure and had an overall greater level of intake than formula-fed infants. Adult ratings of the infants' nonverbal responses correlated positively with infant intake.
Infants increase their acceptance (reflected both in changes in intake and in behavioral response) of a novel food after repeated dietary exposure to that food. Relative to formula-feeding, breast-feeding may facilitate the acceptance of solid foods.
To compare children's food preferences longitudinally and identify factors related to food preferences.
Mothers completed the Food Preference Questionnaire for children at 2 to 3 years of age (T1), 4 years (T2), and 8 years (T3) and for themselves at T1 and T3. Both groups completed a Food Neophobia Scale at T3.
70 child/mother pairs who had participated continuously in the longitudinal study.
Changes in food preferences over time were tested with paired t tests and correlations. Consistency percentages were calculated by summing the consistent matches (like/like) for each food between two time periods. Similarly, concordance percentages were calculated for child/mother pairs by summing the concordant matches for each food. General linear models were developed to identify influences on children's food preferences.
Although children liked most foods, the number of liked foods did not change significantly during the 5 to 5.7 years of the study. The strongest predictors of the number of foods liked at age 8 years (R2=0.74) were the number liked at 4 years (P<.0001) and the food neophobia score (P=.0003). Newly tasted foods were more likely to be accepted between T1 and T2 than T2 and T3. Mothers' and children's food preferences were significantly but moderately related. Foods disliked by mothers tended not to be offered to children.
The important role of children's early food preferences is confirmed by this study. Mothers influence children via their own preferences, which may limit foods offered to children.
The food neophobia scale [FNS; Appetite 19 (1992) 105] has been used to assess willingness to try new foods in studies conducted around the world. Although it is tempting to compare FNS scores across these studies, appropriate psychometric analyses are required to validate the scale and allow cross-cultural comparisons. These analyses were pursued in the current study using confirmatory factor analysis in conjunction with a data analysis strategy described by Steenkamp and Baumgartner [J. Consumer Res. 25 (1998) 78] and random, representative samples drawn from the United States, Sweden and Finland. A unidimensional scale was constructed using eight of the original 10 items from the FNS, and this model provided an excellent fit to the data from the US and Swedish samples. An acceptable fit was achieved for six items when data from the US, Sweden and Finland were used. Based on these analyses, we recommend that two items from the original FNS be dropped (items 5 and 9). Elimination of additional items may be premature given the potential contributions of difference in sampling and testing methodology associated with data collection from the three samples. Future efforts to develop a FNS for cross-national comparisons should target the development of a scale with 14-16 items so that dropping several items from a model (due to translation or other problems) allows retention of a sufficient number of items to insure a robust test. However, even with only six items, our results supported the conclusion that people from Sweden are generally more willing to try novel foods as compared to people from the US and Finland. Future studies should focus on the source of this enhanced willingness to try novel foods among the Swedes and the potential use of this information in the development of programs aimed at facilitating dietary change.
To replicate the finding of a negative association between parental control and fruit and vegetable consumption in girls. To extend the investigation to boys and examine sex differences. To test the hypothesis that children's food neophobia explains this association.
Cross-sectional questionnaire survey.
The questionnaire included items assessing parents' and children's fruit and vegetable intake, the Parental Control Index, and the Child Food Neophobia Scale.
Parents of 564 2- to 6-year-old children, recruited from 22 London nursery schools.
Relationships between continuous variables were examined with Pearson product moment correlation coefficients. Sex differences were tested using independent sample t tests, and sex differences in correlations were assessed from their 95% confidence intervals. Parental control and children's food neophobia were entered into a hierarchical multiple regression to test the hypothesis that neophobia explains the association between parental control and children's fruit and vegetable intake.
We replicated the finding that parental control was correlated with children's fruit and vegetable consumption and found no significant sex differences. Parental fruit and vegetable consumption and children's food neophobia were also strong predictors of children's fruit and vegetable consumption, and both were associated with parental control, suggesting that they might explain the association between control and intake. Controlling for children's food neophobia and parental intake reduced the association of parental control with children's fruit and vegetable intake to nonsignificance.
These findings emphasize the importance of systematic research about associations between parental feeding styles and children's dietary habits so that dietetics professionals can give parents sound advice.
The history and development of the Sensory Processing Measure-School are detailed, and findings of initial pilot studies are reported.
Multiple reviews, focus groups, case studies, and two pilot studies were used to develop the early versions of the tool. Internal consistency and discriminatory ability were examined.
Internal consistency measured with Cronbach's alphas ranged from .93 to .99 in the first pilot study and .70 to .99 in the second pilot study. Children who were typically developing were correctly classified 92.3% of the time, and children with sensory issues were correctly classified 72% of the time.
Initial results suggest that the tool is reliable and valid and discriminates children with and without sensory processing issues. Further research is under way with larger samples.
This cross-sectional study was designed to investigate the relationships between food preferences, food neophobia, and children's characteristics among a population-based sample of preschoolers.
A parent-report questionnaire.
Child-care centers, kindergartens, playgroups, day nurseries, and swimming centers.
371 two- to five-year-old Australian children.
Associations between food neophobia and the food preferences and characteristics.
Analysis of variance, analysis of covariance, Pearson product-moment correlations, and Fisher z test were used to estimate and compare the associations between these variables.
Food neophobia was associated with reduced preferences for all food groups, but especially for vegetables (r = -0.60; P < .001). It was also associated with liking fewer food types (r = -0.55; P < .001), disliking more food types (r = 0.42; P < .001), the number of untried food types (r = 0.25; P < .001), a less varied range of food preferences (r = -0.59; P < .001), and less healthful food preferences overall (r = -0.55; P < .001). No significant relationships (P < .01) were observed between food neophobia and a child's age, sex, or history of breast-feeding.
The study confirms and extends results obtained in experimental research and population-based intake studies of food neophobia to children's everyday food preferences. The findings suggest that preschool children's everyday food preferences are strongly associated with food neophobia but not with children's age, sex, or history of breast-feeding. When aiming to influence children's food preferences, the effects of food neophobia and strategies to reduce it should be considered.
As part of 'EduSens', a project aiming to measure the effect of a sensory education program developed in France on the food behaviour of school children, the present paper shows the results regarding neophobia. One hundred and eighty children (8-10 years old) were involved in the study. Half of them (experimental group) were educated during school-time with the 12 sessions of taste lessons "Les classes du goût" by J. Puisais. The others served as a control group. Food neophobia was evaluated before and after the education period of the experimental group and once again 10 months later. An adapted food neophobia scale was used (AFNS) and the willingness to taste novel food (WTNF) was evaluated by the presentation of eight unknown foods. To improve involvement in the expressed willingness to taste new foods, the children were told that they would have to eat one of the not rejected unknown foods afterwards. Results revealed that, at the end of the education period, in the educated group, declarative food neophobia decreased significantly and participants' willingness to taste novel food seemed to increase compared to the control group. Nevertheless, these effects had disappeared 10 months later. Thus, we have shown that sensory education can influence childrens' food neophobia, but does so only temporarily. This is especially true for the WTNF test, which measures the expression of neophobia in concrete situations, whereas neophobia measured as a psychological trait by the AFNS test hardly changes.
Tactile over-responsivity and early vegetable consumption; moderating effect of age of introduction to solid foods
- Coulthard
Engagement in sensory play in preschool children is associated with food acceptance
- Coulthard