Clinical trial NCT01858337: Mum Can I Have Vegetables Again? Development of Vegetable Preferences
Official title: Mum Can I Have Vegetables Again? Development of Vegetable Preferences.
Study type: INTERVENTIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Phase: NA
Conditions: Vegetable Intake After Weaning With Vegetables or Fruits
Fruit Intake After Weaning With Vegetables or Fruits
Keywords: weaning
infants
vegetables
repeated-exposure
Lead sponsor: Wageningen University
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2013-05-21
Enrollment: 101
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 4
Maximum age (years): 6
Standard ages: CHILD
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Allocation: RANDOMIZED
Intervention model: PARALLEL
Primary purpose: BASIC_SCIENCE

Brief summary: * Rationale: Despite the health benefits, children's consumption of vegetables is below the recommendations. Most human food preferences are learned through mere exposure, imitation, and conditioning principles. During the last years, it has become clear that the development of food preferences starts very early in life. Furthermore, preferences that are learned early in life, are relatively stable and may track into adulthood. However, it is unclear how vegetable preferences develop from infancy until young childhood. In order to influence vegetable consumption, it is essential to study the opportunities to develop a preference for vegetable products early in childhood.
* Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of repeated exposure to vegetables compared to repeated exposure to fruit during weaning on short and long term vegetable and fruit intake. Furthermore, the stability of the learned fruit or vegetable preferences and the later food preferences are measured (i.e. vegetable, fruits, sweets).
* Study design:

In this longitudinal study we will measure the development of preferences for a particular vegetable or fruit type within 4 to 6 months old subjects, during a 19 day exposure period to fruit or vegetables (of which 9 days exposure to the target fruit or vegetable) and 6 months after this exposure period. In addition, we compare the food preferences (fruit, vegetable, sweet foods in general), after 6 months, between infants who were weaned with a variety of fruits and infants who were weaned with a variety of vegetables.


Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Infants between 4 and 6 months of age that are apparently healthy are invited to participate in the study. The parents have to give permission for themselves and for their infant to participate by signing an informed consent. By signing the informed consent the parents also agree to participate in the study for 2 years.

Exclusion Criteria:

* The parents will not sign the informed consent
* The parents have already started weaning their child
* The infant has a food allergy or intolerance
* The child has medical problems that influences with eating or food digestion. (e.g. schisis, problems with the bowls)
* The child has a known cognitive or physical developmental problem, which influences how the child's reaction or facial expressions.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Change in Vegetable and fruit intake
timeFrame: At the first 19 days of weaning (4-6 months of age)
measure: Intake of the target Vegetables and fruits at 12 months of age.
timeFrame: 6 months after the intervention. Mean age 12 months.
measure: Green beans and Apple intake at 23 months of age.
timeFrame: when infants are 23 months of age
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Vegetable and in fruit intake after the repeated exposure
timeFrame: After the repeated exposure period during the first 19 days of weaning
Other outcomes:
Locations:
city: Wageningen
country: Netherlands
facility: Wageningen University
state: Gelderland
Study officials:
affiliation: Wageningen University
name: Cees de Graaf, Prof.
role: STUDY_DIRECTOR
References:
citation: Barends, C.d.V., J; Mojet, J & de Graaf, C, Effects of repeated exposure to either vegetables or fruits on infant's vegetable and fruit acceptance at the beginning of weaning. Food quality and preference, 29 , 157-165, 2013