Influences on Children's Dietary Behavior, and Innovative Attempts to Change It

Abstract

Fruit and vegetable (FV) intake may protect against several chronic diseases, and the preferences and habits in relation to FV intake appear to form in early childhood. Child FV intake reflects many influences from multiple levels (e.g. internal to the child, family, school, and neighborhood). We have documented influences at each of these levels, but more definitive research in longitudinal samples remains to be conducted. Even though validated comprehensive models of influences on child FV intake in longitudinal studies are not available to guide intervention design for children of different ages, there has been an urgency to initiate chronic disease prevention interventions to mitigate the substantial health consequences. Effective interventions use known behavior change procedures to change the influences on FV intake enough to change the behavior, but few such interventions have demonstrated effectiveness at meaningful levels. Innovative methods need to be explored. Videogames for Health offer a medium that is attractive to children and shows promising results, especially for dietary behavior change. Exciting additional research is needed to clarify possible bidirectional influences between the environmental and individual influences on child intake with possible age-related differences in influence and in the optimal design of video games for dietary change.

Dietary intake and lifestyle behaviors of children in Mauritius

“…Fruit and vegetable consumption (FVC) also ensures high fiber consumption which is a key player in the prevention and reduction of non-communicable diseases as well as constipation, a common problem among children [7] . Evidence suggests that if FVC starts right from childhood, it will culminate into good dietary habits in the long run [8] . The United States Public Health Service has recommended that the 5-A-DAY recommendation, sponsored by the and concerned food industry representatives, be applied to children 2 years and above as well along with adults, for whom the campaign was originally designed [9] .…”

Dietary and economic effects of eliminating shortfall in fruit intake on nutrient intakes and diet cost

“…For reference, 1.0 cup of fruit corresponds to a small apple (106 g), large banana (136 g), 32 seedless grapes (160 g), large orange (184 g), 8 large strawberries (166 g) or 1 cup of fruit juice (248 g or 8 fluid ounces). Numerous interventions, in pre-school [ 5 ], school [ 6 ], and family settings [ 7 ] have been developed to address the shortfall and fruit consumption and to improve the quality of children’s diets, though fruit consumption remains well below recommended levels. Consuming adequate amounts of fruit is important in ensuring nutrient adequacy, particularly for vitamin C, potassium, and dietary fiber, and may also reduce the risk of weight gain due to their low energy density [ 1 , 2 ].…”

Qualité ou quantité : des parents québécois lèvent le voile sur leurs stratégies déployées pour favoriser le « bien manger » chez leurs enfants

“…Les stratégies d'intervention à privilégier pour favoriser le développement et l'acquisition de saines habitudes alimentaires chez les enfants d'âge préscolaire doivent être innovatrices et tenir compte des intérêts de cette génération 2.0 (Baranowski et al, 2013). Ainsi, il est essentiel de déterminer le meilleur canal de communication pour faire la promotion de concepts tels que le rôle de modèle ou encore la division des responsabilités entre les parents et les enfants.…”

“…Parmi les déterminants d'ordre individuel, il y a les facteurs biologiques, les préférences alimentaires, les connaissances et les attitudes à l'égard de la nutrition (Taylor et al, 2005;Baranowski et al, 2013). Le rythme de croissance ainsi que le sexe de l'enfant figurent aussi à la liste des facteurs individuels (Davison et Birch, 2001).…”