Optimising Repeated Exposure: Determining Optimal Exposure Frequency for Introducing a Novel Vegetable among Children

Abstract

Fruit and vegetables are important components of a healthy diet, but unfortunately many children are not consuming enough to meet the recommendations. Therefore, it is crucial to develop strategies towards increasing the acceptance of this food group. This study aims to investigate the effect of different repeated exposure frequencies on fruit and vegetable acceptance using a novel vegetable, daikon, among 3–6-year-old children. One hundred and fifty-nine children participated in this study. Eight kindergarten teams were assigned to one of the following groups: Three different intervention groups with varying exposure frequencies, but all receiving seven exposures: Twice a week (n = 47), once a week (n = 32) and once every second week (n = 30), and a control group (n = 50). Liking and familiarity of daikon and other vegetables (cucumber, celery, celeriac, broccoli, cauliflower and beetroot) were assessed at baseline, post-intervention and two follow up sessions (3 and 6 months) to test for potential generalisation effects and observe the longevity of the obtained effects. Intake of daikon was measured at all exposures and test sessions. Results showed significant increases (p ≤ 0.05) in liking and intake of daikon for all three frequencies and the control group. Over the exposures, intake of daikon increased until the 4th exposure for all the groups, where a plateau was reached. No systematic generalisation effects were found. Repeated exposure was a successful approach to increase liking and intake of a novel vegetable with all exposure frequencies to be effective, and no particular exposure frequency can be recommended. Even the few exposures the control group received were found to be sufficient to improve intake and liking over 6 months (p ≤ 0.05), indicating that exposures to low quantities of an unfamiliar vegetable may be sufficient.

Interventions for Picky Eaters among Typically Developed Children—A Scoping Review

“…However, PE evaluation was used as a confounding factor or an outcome measure in eight of the eleven studies to assess the efficacy of the interventions. The instrument used for the assessment was the Child Eating Behavior Questionnaire (CEBQ) [ 31 , 37 , 39 , 41 , 42 ], the modified version of Carruth, et al [ 46 , 51 ], the Lifestyle Behaviour Checklist (LBC) [ 39 ] and the Child Food Neophobia Scale (CFNS) [ 32 , 33 , 37 , 42 ], which were carried out by parents of the subjects.…”

“…These factors have been incorporated into intervention programmes aimed at assisting PE children. Using strategies, such as repeated exposure (taste and texture) and multisensory plays, can help change children’s taste preferences and encourage them to like certain foods more [ 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 37 , 38 ]. In addition, social and environmental factors are incorporated into PE children’s intervention programs by examining the role of parents, peers, and social interaction [ 39 , 40 , 41 , 42 ].…”

Determinants of Preference and Consumption of Healthy Food in Children

“…Novel stimuli initially elicit a reaction of fear and avoidance (i.e., the aforementioned food neophobia), which can be reduced by repeated exposure to them. The effectiveness of repeated exposure to reduce neophobic reactions and to promote the consumption of fruits and vegetables has been tested in several studies with mixed results [ 12 ]. Repeated exposure can be more or less effective depending on a myriad of factors including the number and frequency of exposure, type of food stimulus delivered, age of the children.…”

“…In this Special Issue, four articles made interesting contributions within this research topic. Karagiannaki et al published two papers to determine optimal exposure frequency [ 12 ] and stimulus shape [ 13 ] for introducing a novel vegetable among 3–6-year-old children. In a first study [ 12 ], they tested seven exposures delivered in kindergartens twice a week, once a week and once every second week.…”

“…Karagiannaki et al published two papers to determine optimal exposure frequency [ 12 ] and stimulus shape [ 13 ] for introducing a novel vegetable among 3–6-year-old children. In a first study [ 12 ], they tested seven exposures delivered in kindergartens twice a week, once a week and once every second week. All exposure frequencies lead to an increase in liking and intake of daikon with a plateau reached at the fourth exposure for all the groups including the control group, suggesting that even low frequencies may provide positive changes in acceptance.…”