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New Foods Take Time, a Curriculum Designed to Promote Tasting and Liking of Fruits and Vegetables

Not Applicable
Completed
Conditions
Eating Behavior
Interventions
Behavioral: New Foods Take Time
Registration Number
NCT04129372
Lead Sponsor
Penn State University
Brief Summary

The overall objective of this project is to conduct a preliminary evaluation of the "New Foods Take Time" Intervention in Head Start preschool classrooms.

Detailed Description

The overall objective of this project is to conduct a preliminary evaluation of the "New Foods Take Time" Intervention. This curriculum is designed to increase children's preference for and consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV) by encouraging children to try new FV and repeatedly taste these foods.

Recruitment & Eligibility

Status
COMPLETED
Sex
All
Target Recruitment
30
Inclusion Criteria
  • Enrolled in a Head Start preschool center
  • Between the ages of 2 and 5 years old

Child

Exclusion Criteria
  • Food allergy or restriction to foods in the tastings

Parent Inclusion Criteria:

  • Parent or primary caregiver of a child enrolled in the study
  • Age 18 years or older
  • English speaking

Parent Exclusion Criteria:

  • None

Teacher Inclusion Criteria:

  • Actively employed as an early childhood education provider in the Head Start classroom where the intervention is delivered
  • Age 18 years or older

Teacher Exclusion Criteria:

  • None

Study & Design

Study Type
INTERVENTIONAL
Study Design
SINGLE_GROUP
Arm && Interventions
GroupInterventionDescription
New Foods Take TimeNew Foods Take TimeHead Start classrooms will receive "New Foods Take Time", a series of five interactive weekly lessons designed to promote children's willingness to try new foods, particularly fruits and vegetables. Lessons will be delivered by nutrition educations. Children will also receive three tastings per week of the new foods discussed during the lessons.
Primary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod
Change in self-competence to try new foodsPre intervention and at conclusion of 5 week intervention

Children will be presented with a series pairs of drawings with descriptions (e.g., "This boy likes to try new foods" and "This boy does not like to try new foods") and asked to select which is most like them.

Change in number of foods tastedPre intervention and at conclusion of 5 week intervention

Children will be presented with small portions of familiar and novel fruits and vegetables and be asked if they would like to taste them

Change in liking of study foodsPre intervention and at conclusion of 5 week intervention

For foods that children agree to taste, they will be asked to rate their liking of them on a three point likert-type scale ("Yummy", "Just ok", or "Yucky")

Teacher acceptability of interventionAt conclusion of 5 week intervention

Teachers will complete a questionnaire with scaled and open-ended questions about the feasibility and acceptability of the intervention

Secondary Outcome Measures
NameTimeMethod

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Pennsylvania State University

🇺🇸

University Park, Pennsylvania, United States

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