Effectiveness of a kindergarten-based intervention to increase vegetable intake and reduce food neophobia amongst 1-year-old children: a cluster randomised controlled trial.

The purpose of the study is to map and reduce the phenomenon of food neophobia (tendency to reject or be reluctant to try new and unfamiliar foods) among one-year-old kindergarten children, and as a result promote healthy eating habits among children, with a higher intake of fruit and vegetables.

The results suggest a higher intake of the intervention vegetables in group 2 (diet + Sapere method) compared to the control group. The effect on total vegetable intake was inconclusive. No effect was observed on the level of food neophobia in the intervention groups.

The kindergartens involved were randomly allocated to either one control group or one of two intervention groups. Both intervention groups (1 and 2) were served a hot lunch meal, including three alternating vegetables, three days a week over a period of three months. Intervention group 2 was also given access to weekly sensory sessions (the Sapere method), where they received information about the vegetables in question and how these could be prepared. This intervention was digitally administered via information and recipes on a website. The control group received no intervention. The parents of one-year-olds (a total of 144 parents of children in 46 kindergartens) completed digitally distributed questionnaires that dealt with food neophobia and eating habits before and after the intervention.

Blomkvist, E. A. M., Wills, A. K., Helland, S. H., Hillesund, E. R., & Øverby, N. C. (2021). “Effectiveness of a kindergarten-based intervention to increase vegetable intake and reduce food neophobia amongst 1-year-old children: a cluster randomised controlled trial”. Food & Nutrition Research, doi: 10.29219/fnr.v65.7679