Piloting new adaptations of established learning paradigms: Impacts on fruit and vegetable preferences in community contexts

• In Event: Expanding research on child food acceptance to include individual differences, innovative interventions, and under-represented populations

Abstract

Introduction:
Simple repeated exposure (RE) to small tastes of new foods is a well-established method for increasing children’s food acceptance. Associative conditioning (AC) can also increase acceptance of new foods after they are paired repeatedly with other already-liked stimuli (typically foods). AC is not always superior to RE, but some evidence suggests AC may encourage initial tasting of new foods among children reluctant to engage in RE. Most RE and AC evidence comes from controlled settings, with limited representation of lower-income and racial/ethnic minority children. We aimed to extend the evidence by testing novel, ecologically-valid approaches to RE and AC with Black and multiracial children from low-income families.

Methods:
Two pilot studies were conducted with 40 6-to-8-year-old children attending a summer camp in Buffalo, NY. All children were from low-income families, and >90% were Black or multiracial.

In Study 1, we tested whether children’s preferences for two target fruits and two target vegetables increased after repeated taste exposures via nine hands-on cooking sessions (five exposures per target food). Children (n=17) and research staff prepared and tasted snacks that featured the target foods as ingredients. Rank-ordered preferences for target foods and five additional fruits and vegetables were collected from participants on an individual basis pre- and post-exposure using established methods (“the Tasting Game”).

In Study 2, we tested an AC intervention in which tastes of a target vegetable were paired with a positive peer context (group games) over nine exposure sessions. Two camp classrooms (n=23) were randomized to either AC or a RE control group that received only target vegetable taste exposures. Rank-ordered preferences for the target vegetable, plus six additional vegetables, were collected from participants pre- and post-exposure as in Study 1. In addition, liking (yummy, yucky, just OK) of the target vegetable was assessed at pre-test, each exposure trial, and post-test. We examined changes in target vegetable preferences and liking overall and by study group.

Results:
In Study 1, ranked preferences for target foods increased from pre- (Mdn=5.8) to post-test (Mdn=5.5; p<0.05). Overall, 60.1% of children rated the nine prepared snacks as yummy, 17.6% as just OK, and 22.3% as yucky.
In Study 2, ranked preferences for the target vegetable increased from pre- (Mdn=6.0) to post-test (Mdn=3.0; p<0.01) overall. Increases in preferences did not differ by group. Yet analyses of vegetable liking across the exposure period suggested that changes in target vegetable liking were greater in the RE group but emerged more quickly in the AC group.

Discussion:
These pilot studies demonstrate the potential for new adaptations of established RE and AC paradigms to impact food preferences in community contexts. The focus on Black and multiracial children from low-income families also extends the evidence base to these underrepresented groups. Future studies could build upon these findings by comparing effects of RE during hands-on cooking versus a mere RE group; considering willingness to taste target foods as an additional outcome; and including an in-depth exploration of individual differences, such as whether temperament or food neophobia moderate the effectiveness of AC.

Authors

• Stephanie Anzman-Frasca, State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo)
  Presenting Author

• Sara Tauriello, State University of New York at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo)
  Non-Presenting Author

• Sarah Ehrenberg, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
  Non-Presenting Author

• Mackenzie Ferrante, University at Buffalo
  Non-Presenting Author