Children's Taste Study to Increase Vegetable Intake in Preschoolers

Study Overview
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Brief Summary
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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.

Official Title
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A Pilot Study to Test the Influence of Vegetable Flavor Variety Using Herbs and Spices on Preschool Children's Vegetable Intake

Conditions
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Pediatric Obesity

Intervention / Treatment
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* Other: Variety Intervention


Participation Criteria
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Eligibility Criteria
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Inclusion Criteria: Acceptance of test meal foods Generally healthy Exclusion Criteria: Food allergies Medications (prescription or OTC) that can affect taste, smell or appetite Medical conditions

Ages Eligible for Study
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Minimum Age: 3 Years
Maximum Age: 5 Years

Sexes Eligible for Study
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All

Accepts Healthy Volunteers
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Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Study Plan
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How is the study designed?
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Design Details

Primary Purpose: Treatment
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Crossover Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)


Arms and Interventions

| Participant Group/Arm | Intervention/Treatment |
| --- | --- |
| Experimental: Variety<br>Children receive three servings of vegetables each prepared with a different herb and spice blend. | Other: Variety Intervention<br>* Vegetable flavor variety created with multiple herb and spice blends<br>|
| No Intervention: No Variety - Control<br>Children receive three servings of vegetables each prepared with the same herb and spice blend. | |

What is the study measuring?
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Primary Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 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 Outcome Measures

| Outcome Measure | Measure Description | Time Frame |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Spice Intake Questionnaire | A survey of maternally reported herb and spice consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding as well as current home use | Baseline | 
| Home Spice Checklist | A comprehensive checklist of 34 herbs and spices for parents to fill out at home to evaluate children's overall herb and spice exposure | Baseline | 
| Infant Feeding Practices | A survey of maternally reported feeding practices, include breastfeeding, formula feeding, and introduction to solid foods. | Baseline | 
| Liking of Broccoli with Herbs and Spices | Liking is measured using a child friendly 5-pt hedonic scale; pilot data for future studies looking to apply this technique to green vegetables | Baseline | 
| Liking of Carrots with Herb and Spice Blends | Liking is measured using a child friendly 5-pt hedonic scale | Baseline | 

 Terms related to the study
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Keywords Provided by Centre Hospitalier Valida
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Eating Behaviors, Preschool, Vegetable Intake