Children's Taste Study to Increase Vegetable Intake in Preschoolers

NCT03043118 | Completed

• 1 other identifier: ChildrensTasteStudy
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 48
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

Studies have shown that when exposed to a variety of food and flavor options people tend to consume more than when only one item is presented. This strategy has been used to increase vegetable intake in adults and during snacktime in children. Increasing vegetable consumption in children is important because higher vegetable intake has been associated with reduced risk of disease and because vegetables can help prevent weight gain by lowering the energy density of a meal. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of using herb and spice blends to create flavor variety in carrots as a model vegetable in a laboratory test meal. We predict that children will consume more vegetables and that the energy density of the meal will be lower when a variety of seasoned carrots are presented in comparison to a single flavor. A secondary goal of the study was to determine other influences that may predict children's liking and intake of seasoned vegetables, such as previous exposure, infant feeding practices, and genetic bitter sensitivity.

Conditions

Pediatric Obesity

Keywords

Eating Behaviors; Preschool; Vegetable Intake

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

• Chang in Vegetable Intake

  Consumption is measured by pre- and post- weights of carrot offered in both the variety and no variety conditions

  Baseline and 1 week

• Change in Total Food Intake

  Consumption is measured by pre- and post- weights of all meal items offered in both the variety and no variety conditions

  Baseline and 1 week

• Change in Meal Energy Density

  Calculated from the total calories consumed divided by the grams of food eaten

  Baseline and 1 week

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Spice Intake Questionnaire

  Baseline

• Home Spice Checklist

  Baseline

• Infant Feeding Practices

  Baseline

• Liking of Broccoli with Herbs and Spices

  Baseline

• Liking of Carrots with Herb and Spice Blends

  Baseline

Other Outcomes (9)

• Age

  Baseline

• Height

  Baseline

• Weight

  Baseline

Study Arms (2)

Variety

EXPERIMENTAL

Children receive three servings of vegetables each prepared with a different herb and spice blend.

Other: Variety Intervention

No Variety - Control

NO INTERVENTION

Children receive three servings of vegetables each prepared with the same herb and spice blend.

Interventions

Variety Intervention OTHER

Vegetable flavor variety created with multiple herb and spice blends

Variety

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 3 Years - 5 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Child (0-17)

You may qualify if:

• Acceptance of test meal foods
• Generally healthy

You may not qualify if:

• Food allergies
• Medications (prescription or OTC) that can affect taste, smell or appetite
• Medical conditions

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Penn State University: lead

Study Sites (1)

The Pennsylvania State University

University Park, Pennsylvania, 16802, United States

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Pediatric Obesity; Feeding Behavior

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Obesity; Overweight; Overnutrition; Nutrition Disorders; Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases; Body Weight; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Behavior, Animal; Behavior

Study Officials

• Kathleen L Keller, Ph.D.

  The Pennsylvania State University

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: TREATMENT
• Intervention Model: CROSSOVER
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Assistant Professor

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 6, 2016
• First Posted: February 3, 2017
• Study Start: February 1, 2015
• Primary Completion: November 2, 2016
• Study Completion: November 2, 2016
• Last Updated: April 5, 2022

Record last verified: 2022-04

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

US (1)