VIVA

V is for Vegetable: Applying Learning theory to increase liking and intake of vegetables

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 Obiettivo del progetto (Objective)

'It is now well-established that consuming fruits and vegetables promotes health and well-being. In particular, intake of fruits and vegetables protects against cancer and is associated with lower levels of obesity. Consumption of a diet rich in fruits and vegetables is predicted by the extent to which these foods are liked. However, vegetable intakes remain relatively low, especially in children. Establishing preference for vegetables early in a child’s development provides the best opportunity to enhance intake and to promote preferences which will last throughout life. Most children in Europe fail to consume recommended 5 per day portions of fruits and vegetables and many fail to meet minimum recommendations to eat just one portion of vegetables each day. Therefore, this proposal has three main aims: to compare different methods of introducing complimentary foods in member states which best predict liking of vegetables in the first year of life; to develop and test an optimal weaning strategy to promote vegetable acceptance in infants; and to increase liking and intake of vegetables in children aged 4-5 years using flavour-flavour and flavour-consequence learning. The main outcomes of this research programme are the development of a weaning strategy with an emphasis on early and sustained exposure to vegetable flavours; identification and development of new products to facilitate liking for vegetables and preparing an evidence-base for enhancing intake of vegetables in school age children.'

Introduzione (Teaser)

Developing a weaning strategy for children's early exposure to vegetables as well as developing new ways for children to like their vegetables at an early age offers hope for a healthier adult life.

Descrizione progetto (Article)

Consuming fruits and vegetables is an important part of a healthy, balanced diet. Children's vegetable intake remains quite low, however, according to the recommended portion of five servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Most children in Europe fail to meet the minimum consumption of even one serving of vegetables per day. This is most likely due to a dislike in taste. It could also be due to lack of familiarity.

'V is for vegetable: Applying learning theory to increase liking and intake of vegetables' (http://www.vivacongress2013.co.uk/viva-partners/ (VIVA)), an EU-funded project, devoted four years to developing qualitative and quantitative means for improving vegetable preference and consumption in children. Using qualitative studies, best practices of mothers in two EU countries were explored to determine if exposure to unfamiliar vegetables at weaning or during preschool would increase acceptance.

Weaning recommendations from Europe, the United States and the World Health Organization (WHO) were compared and trial interventions were developed according to plan. A workshop was then conducted to go over feeding guidelines and a qualitative research study took place.

Findings were published in a journal and a random control trial was put into effect to test the efficacy of an intervention involving the introduction of vegetables during the weaning period. Communication materials are available for healthcare practitioners as well as for the general public.

The results will be useful for scientists, health care professionals, policymakers, industry representatives and stakeholders.