Effectiveness of Taste Lessons with and without additional experiential learning activities on children's willingness to taste vegetables. (1st February 2017)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Battjes-Fries, Marieke C.E.; Haveman-Nies, Annemien; Zeinstra, Gertrude G.; van Dongen, Ellen J.I.; Meester, Hante J.; van den Top-Pullen, Rinelle; van't Veer, Pieter; de Graaf, Kees
• Is Part Of: Appetite. Volume 109(2017)
• Page Start: 201
• Page End: 208
• Publication Date: 2017-02-01
• Subjects: Nutrition education -- Experiential learning -- Effect evaluation -- Vegetable consumption -- Food neophobia -- Willingness to taste; Food habits -- Periodicals; Appetite -- Periodicals; Appetite disorders -- Periodicals; Electronic journals; 306.4613
• DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2016.05.020
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 0195-6663

Abstract

Abstract: This study assessed the effectiveness of the Dutch school programme Taste Lessons with and without additional experiential learning activities on children's willingness to taste unfamiliar vegetables. Thirty-three primary schools (877 children in grades 6–7 with a mean age of 10.3 years) participated in Taste Lessons Vegetable Menu (TLVM, lessons and extra activities), Taste Lessons (TL, lessons), or a control group. A baseline and follow-up measurement was used to assess for each child: number of four familiar and four unfamiliar vegetables tasted, quantity tasted, choice of vegetable of which to eat more, and number of vegetables willing to taste again later. Furthermore, children filled out a questionnaire on daily vegetable intake and food neophobia. Multilevel and Cox regression analyses were conducted to compare changes in the outcome measures between the three study groups. No significant intervention effects were found on willingness to taste unfamiliar vegetables. Neither were effects found on familiar vegetables, except for number of familiar vegetables tasted ( p < 0.05). Furthermore, no significant intervention effects were found on daily vegetable consumption and food neophobia. These results indicate that more intensive school-based nutrition education activities are needed to increase children's willingness to taste unfamiliar vegetables and increase their vegetable intake.