Shanks Carmen Byker, Milodragovich Allison, Smith Erin, Izumi Betty, Stephens Lacy, Ahmed Selena
Montana State University, Bozeman, MT, USA.
Gretchen Swanson Center for Nutrition, Omaha, NE, USA.
SSM Popul Health. 2021 Aug 27;15:100908. doi: 10.1016/j.ssmph.2021.100908. eCollection 2021 Sep.
A large portion of preschool-aged children in the United States (US) do not consume enough fruits and vegetables (FV). It is important for childcare providers to know what food choices children in their care are making at mealtime and how to encourage them to eat more FV. The objective of this pilot study was to examine the relationship between FV preference and plate waste among pre-school aged children in a childcare setting using a rapid assessment tool.
The rapid assessment tool was first pilot tested with 23 children and revised. A repeated cross-sectional design was carried out for three days during fall 2016 in one childcare center. Over three days, the research team collected 100 FV plate waste observations from 30 children who were surveyed simultaneously about their preference (did not try, tried, liked, loved) towards FV.
Food preference for FV by preschool children is significantly (p < 0.05) related to plate waste and age. Children that indicated they loved a fruit or vegetable generated the least plate waste. Children that indicated that they did not try a fruit or vegetable generated the most plate waste.
FV preference and plate waste are significantly and inversely correlated. The rapid assessment tool developed should be validated to be used in implementing strategies that increase child preferences and consumption of FV that support lifelong healthy eating behaviors.
美国很大一部分学龄前儿童水果和蔬菜摄入量不足。儿童保育人员了解他们所照顾的孩子在进餐时做出的食物选择以及如何鼓励他们多吃水果和蔬菜非常重要。这项试点研究的目的是使用一种快速评估工具，研究儿童保育机构中学龄前儿童对水果和蔬菜的偏好与餐盘食物浪费之间的关系。
快速评估工具首先在23名儿童中进行试点测试并修订。2016年秋季，在一个儿童保育中心采用重复横断面设计，进行了为期三天的研究。在三天时间里，研究团队收集了30名儿童的100次水果和蔬菜餐盘食物浪费观察数据，同时对他们对水果和蔬菜的偏好（未尝试、尝试过、喜欢、喜爱）进行了调查。
学龄前儿童对水果和蔬菜的食物偏好与餐盘食物浪费及年龄显著相关（p < 0.05）。表示喜爱某种水果或蔬菜的儿童产生的餐盘食物浪费最少。表示未尝试过某种水果或蔬菜的儿童产生的餐盘食物浪费最多。
对水果和蔬菜的偏好与餐盘食物浪费显著负相关。所开发的快速评估工具应进行验证，以便用于实施提高儿童对水果和蔬菜的偏好及摄入量的策略，从而支持终身健康的饮食行为。
