Photos by Greg Grieco Schuylkill research targets children and nutrition For generations, the eating habits of preschoolers have concerned both parents and health professionals. Those questions and many more confront Helen Hendy, associate professor of psychology at Penn State Schuylkill, and her team of undergraduate students in their ongoing research of eating habits of preschoolers. Hendy's students are researching how children acquire new food acceptance in the preschool setting. The study entails comparing teacher actions during preschool lunches and how the children accept new fruits and vegetables. Another option is where children are free to say no.
Early evidence indicates that giving children a choice is just as effective as the dessert reward.
The next step in the research is to reveal why modeling did not work Hendy sees myriad benefits from the research. We could apply the findings to nutrition programs. One example would be children undergoing chemotherapy who fall victim to an aversion to food related to nausea. Back to top of page Back to Intercom home page Digital Intercom is produced in the Office of University Relations at The Pennsylvania State University . This page was created by Annemarie Mountz .