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CompletedNCT03400566Updated Jan 17, 2018

Effects of Experiential Learning on Vegetable Intake in Preschool Children

An interventional study of Narrative and Experiential in Food Habits, Food Preferences and Health Behavior, sponsored by University of Leeds. Completed at 1 site in United Kingdom. Open to participants aged 2 Years to 5 Years, including healthy volunteers. Per ClinicalTrials.gov, last updated 2018-01-17.

Sponsored by University of Leeds · Not applicable, Interventional, and Basic science

Phase
Not applicable
Study type
Interventional
Enrollment
337
Allocation
Randomized
Ages
2 Years to 5 Years
Sex
All
01

Study summary

The aim of this cluster randomized control trial is to test the efficacy of providing experience of a target novel vegetable within the context of an interactive story time to increase intake of the target novel vegetable in preschool aged children (aged 2-5 years).

Read the detailed description

The aim of this study is to test the efficacy of providing experience of a target novel vegetable within the context of an interactive story time to increase intake of the target novel vegetable in preschool aged children (aged 2-5 years). In particular, the study will assess whether these strategies are effective to encourage intake of an unfamiliar vegetable in children who are fussy eaters.

There are two manipulations in this study - the provision of a story which features either a target vegetable (celeriac) or a control vegetable (carrot) and the presence of experiential learning (smelling, touching, looking at the vegetable) with either the target vegetable or the control vegetable.

Baseline consumption and familiarity of the target veg will be assessed for all children, before the intervention. The intervention consists of two familiarization trials, and 2-weeks of access to a story book featuring vegetables. Following the final familiarization trial, consumption and familiarity will be assessed again. Each familiarization trial consists of a story in class, and depending on condition, an experiential learning episode in class. During the 2 week interval between familiarization sessions nurseries will be requested to ready the story book 5 times in the preschool room (at times convenient to them).

Participants will be cluster randomized into 4 groups (2X2 between subjects design): 1) target vegetable narrative, 2) target vegetable narrative + experiential, 3) control vegetable narrative 4) control vegetable narrative + experiential

Child's food fussiness data will be collected by parents using the Food Fussiness sub scale of the Child Eating Behaviour Questionnaire. Their usual consumption of the target vegetable will also be measured using parent report.

Nursery staff will be requested to provide feedback to evaluate intervention feasibility, barriers and efficacy.

It is predicted that children's intake of the novel vegetable will vary by intervention. The primary hypothesis to be tested is that providing experience of a target novel vegetable within the context of an interactive story time will encourage preschoolers to taste, try and eat the target vegetable.

02

Conditions studied

  • Food Habits
  • Food Preferences
  • Health Behavior
  • Diet Habit
  • Child Behavior
03

Who can participate

Ages eligible
2 Years to 5 Years
Sexes eligible
All
Accepts healthy volunteers
Yes

Inclusion criteria

  • 2 to 5 years old
  • Attends nursery on selected test day

Exclusion criteria

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Relevant food allergy (celeriac / celery)
  • Medical condition which would prevent them from eating the test vegetable
04

Study design

Phase
Not applicable
Primary purpose
Basic science
Allocation
Randomized
Intervention model
Parallel assignment
Masking
Double (Participant, Care provider)
Enrollment
337 participants (actual)

Study arms

  • Experimental
    Narrative (target)

    Children will receive the story featuring the target vegetable and NO sensory experience.

    Behavioral: Narrative

  • Experimental
    Narrative+ experiential (target)

    Children will receive the story featuring the target vegetable and experiential learning with the target vegetable.

    Behavioral: Narrative · Behavioral: Experiential

  • Active comparator
    Narrative (control)

    Children will receive the story featuring the control vegetable and NO sensory experience.

    Behavioral: Narrative

  • Active comparator
    Narrative+ experiential (control)

    Children will receive the story featuring the control vegetable and experiential learning with the control vegetable.

    Behavioral: Narrative · Behavioral: Experiential

Interventions

  • BehavioralNarrative

    Children will be read a story book featuring vegetables for a minimum of 7 times (including twice during the familiarization phase).

  • BehavioralExperiential

    Children will receive hands on experience with the vegetable. They will get to listen, see, feel, touch and smell the actual vegetable during the two familiarization phases.

05

What researchers measure

Primary outcomes

  1. Change in intake of the target vegetable

    Intake of the novel vegetable will be measured at baseline (day 1) and post intervention (day 14). Intake of the novel vegetable will be measured individually and objectively using weight in grams. Change in intake will be calculated by subtraction of baseline intake from post intervention intake.

    Time frame: Change in intake of the target vegetable from Baseline to day 14

Secondary outcomes

  1. Knowledge of the target vegetable

    Children's knowledge of the target vegetable will be assessed at baseline (day 1) and post intervention (day 14). Children will be asked to name the photo card featuring the target vegetable.

    Time frame: Knowledge of the target vegetable at day 14 (post intervention)

06

Study locations

1 site
  • School of Psychology, University of Leeds
    Leeds, West Yorkshire LS2 9JT, United Kingdom
07

References and documents

Publications

  • Nekitsing C, Blundell-Birtill P, Cockroft JE, Fildes A, Hetherington MM. Increasing Intake of an Unfamiliar Vegetable in Preschool Children Through Learning Using Storybooks and Sensory Play: A Cluster Randomized Trial. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2019 Dec;119(12):2014-2027. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2019.05.017. Epub 2019 Aug 1. PubMed 31378648 ↗
  • Nekitsing C, Blundell-Birtill P, Cockroft JE, Hetherington MM. Taste Exposure Increases Intake and Nutrition Education Increases Willingness to Try an Unfamiliar Vegetable in Preschool Children: A Cluster Randomized Trial. J Acad Nutr Diet. 2019 Dec;119(12):2004-2013. doi: 10.1016/j.jand.2019.05.012. Epub 2019 Aug 1. PubMed 31378647 ↗

Individual participant data

Plan to share: Undecided

08

Registry details

Key details

Study ID
NCT03400566
Lead sponsor
University of Leeds
Collaborators
Economic and Social Research Council, United Kingdom, Purely Nutrition Ltd
Responsible party
Chandani Nekitsing (Postgraduate Research Student, University of Leeds) — Principal investigator
First posted
Jan 17, 2018
Start date
Oct 2, 2017
Primary completion
Nov 30, 2017
Completion
Jan 5, 2018
Last update
Jan 17, 2018

Study contacts

Chandani Nekitsing, MSc
principal investigator · University of Leeds

Oversight

Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
View the source record on ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

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