The College of William & Mary, Williamsburg, VA 23187, USA.
Eat Behav. 2013 Jan;14(1):53-6. doi: 10.1016/j.eatbeh.2012.10.013. Epub 2012 Oct 31.
Currently, fewer than 15% of children between the ages of 4-8 years consume the recommended levels of fruit and vegetables. In order to address this serious public health issue, a variety of nutrition programs have been implemented across the United States which have varied in their success. The present research analyzed the effectiveness of providing fruit and vegetable exposure as part of a school nutrition program. Kindergarten students at two schools (N=59) were exposed to interactive activities about healthy eating and physical activity. In addition, those at one school (n=29) were exposed to a variety of fruits and vegetables as part of this program. Assessment of children's ability to identify and their willingness to try fruit and vegetables before and after the program indicated that while all children were better able to identify a range of fruit, only those who received exposure to healthful foods were more willing to try fruit after the program. There were no changes in their identification or willingness to eat vegetables. These results suggest that schools should provide exposure to a variety of healthy foods as part of their nutrition programs. Such programs should focus specifically on exposing children to vegetables because increasing children's willingness to try foods that are typically considered unpalatable may be especially challenging.
目前，只有不到 15%的 4-8 岁儿童摄入了推荐量的水果和蔬菜。为了解决这一严重的公共卫生问题，美国各地实施了多种营养计划，但效果不一。本研究分析了将水果和蔬菜作为学校营养计划一部分进行接触的效果。两所学校的幼儿园学生（N=59）接受了关于健康饮食和体育活动的互动活动。此外，一所学校的（n=29）学生作为该计划的一部分接触了各种水果和蔬菜。在计划前后评估儿童识别和尝试水果和蔬菜的能力表明，虽然所有儿童都能更好地识别一系列水果，但只有那些接触健康食品的儿童在计划后更愿意尝试水果。他们对蔬菜的识别或食用意愿没有变化。这些结果表明，学校应该在其营养计划中提供各种健康食品的接触机会。这些计划应特别关注让儿童接触蔬菜，因为增加儿童尝试通常被认为不可口的食物的意愿可能特别具有挑战性。
