Child-Centered Nutrition Phrases Plus Repeated Exposure Increase Preschoolers' Consumption of Healthful Foods, but Not Liking or Willingness to Try

Abstract

Objective: To determine whether the use of child-centered nutrition phrases (CCNP) with repeated exposure (RE) improved willingness to try, liking, and consumption of healthful foods compared with RE alone.

Design: The researchers used a 2 × 2 × 4 fractionated within-subjects experimental design in the study: phrase condition (RE vs CCNP + RE) by time of measurement (preintervention, postintervention, and 1-month follow-up), by type of food (tomatoes, bell peppers, lentils, and quinoa).

Setting: Children were recruited from 2 early education centers; 89% participated.

Participants: Children aged 3-6 years old (n = 87) who were predominantly white (67%) and from middle-income homes and had parents with some higher education.

Intervention: Adult delivery of CCNP + RE weekly for 6 weeks.

Main outcome measure(s): Willingness to try, change in liking, and change in consumption.

Analysis: Two-level random-effects models were used to account for repeated measurements of willingness to try, liking, and consumption nested within participants.

Results: Children exhibited greater consumption of CCNP foods at follow-up assessment compared with RE foods (b = -16.28, SE = 5.41, t(528) = 3.01; P = .003).

Conclusions and implications: Use of CCNP combined with RE may encourage healthy eating, especially for novel foods that children may typically refuse.

Keywords: consumption; food communication; food liking; repeated exposure; willingness to try.