Children's Taste Study to Increase Vegetable Intake in Preschoolers

Pediatric Obesity Clinical Trial

— CTS  

Official title:

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

Clinical Trial Details — Status: Completed

Administrative data

• NCT number: NCT03043118
• Other study ID #: ChildrensTasteStudy
• Status: Completed
• Phase: N/A
• Start date: February 2015
• Est. completion date: November 2, 2016

Study information

• Verified date: April 2022
• Source: Penn State University
• Contact: n/a
• Is FDA regulated: No
• Study type: Interventional

Clinical Trial Summary

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.

Recruitment information / eligibility

• Status: Completed
• Enrollment: 48
• Est. completion date: November 2, 2016
• Est. primary completion date: November 2, 2016
• Accepts healthy volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers
• Gender: All
• Age group: 3 Years to 5 Years

Eligibility

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

Related Conditions & MeSH terms

• Pediatric Obesity

Intervention

Other:
• Variety Intervention
Vegetable flavor variety created with multiple herb and spice blends

Locations

Country	Name	City	State
United States	The Pennsylvania State University	University Park	Pennsylvania

Sponsors (1)

Lead Sponsor	Collaborator
Penn State University

Country where clinical trial is conducted

United States, 

Outcome

Type	Measure	Description	Time frame	Safety issue
Other	Age	Age of the participant on visit 1	Baseline
Other	Height	Height measured in cm on a stadiometer	Baseline
Other	Weight	Weight measured to the 0.1 pounds using a digital scale	Baseline
Other	6-n-propylthiourcacil Sensitivity	Children switch and spit a 56 umol solution of 6-n-propylthiouracil and are classified as tasters if it described as "bitter" or "yucky" and non-tasters if it's described as "nothing" or "like water".	Baseline
Other	Body Mass Index	Calculated from height and weight (kg/m^2)	Baseline
Other	Children's Eating Behavior Questionnaire	A validated parent-reported questionnaire on children's typical eating behaviors and attitudes toward foods	Baseline
Other	Preschool Adjusted Liking Scale	A questionnaire to assess children's liking of various common foods and daily activities.	Baseline
Other	Family Demographics	A parent-reported questionnaire	Baseline
Other	Parental Feeding Practices	A parent-reported questionnaire on typical feeding practices	Baseline
Primary	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
Primary	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
Primary	Change in Meal Energy Density	Calculated from the total calories consumed divided by the grams of food eaten	Baseline and 1 week
Secondary	Spice Intake Questionnaire	A survey of maternally reported herb and spice consumption during pregnancy and breastfeeding as well as current home use	Baseline
Secondary	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
Secondary	Infant Feeding Practices	A survey of maternally reported feeding practices, include breastfeeding, formula feeding, and introduction to solid foods.	Baseline
Secondary	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
Secondary	Liking of Carrots with Herb and Spice Blends	Liking is measured using a child friendly 5-pt hedonic scale	Baseline