The effectiveness of using food fun facts to increase acceptance of new menu items among children attending a childcare center: a pilot study

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Abstract

Background: Childhood is a time when healthy habits can be created, but it is also a time when picky eating or unwillingness to try new foods can be a challenge. Exposure to new foods plays an important role in acceptance, and childcare centers have a unique opportunity to provide children with new food experiences.

Objective: To test the effectiveness of using exposure in the form of food fun facts to increase acceptance of new menu items among children attending a childcare center.

Methods: Fun facts were created to accompany two new childcare center menu items. A randomized crossover design was used to assign eight childcare classrooms to either receive or not receive pre-meal fun facts. Forty-four children were enrolled in the study, and each new menu item was served four times yielding a total of eight observation days. Researchers recorded whether or not the new food was tried during each individual meal observed (N = 289).

Analysis: Chi squared analysis was used to compare the rate of food trying between observations that were preceded by the fun facts and those that were not.

Results: The rate of food trying was higher (p = .015) among observations preceded by the fun facts (74.4%) compared to the observations that were not preceded by the fun facts (60.8%).

Conclusion: Presenting fun facts before introducing news foods led to a higher rate of trying the foods. This finding suggests that fun facts may be a relatively easy and low-cost way of improving new food acceptance.

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Keywords

Picky eating, Early childhood, Nutrition, Childcare center, Dietary diversity, Fun facts

Graduation Month

December

Degree

Master of Science

Department

Department of Food, Nutrition, Dietetics and Health

Major Professor

Jennifer Hanson

Date

2022

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Thesis

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